Sultan Abdul Samad Building
The Sultan Abdul Samad Building (Malay: Bangunan Sultan Abdul Samad) is a late-nineteenth century building located along Jalan Raja in front of the Dataran Merdeka (Independence Square) and the Royal Selangor Club. The building originally housed the offices of the British colonial administration, and was known simply as Government Offices in its early years. In 1974 it was renamed after Sultan Abdul Samad, the reigning sultan of Selangor at the time when construction began. The building houses both the offices of the Ministry of Communications and Multimedia and the Ministry of Tourism and Culture of Malaysia. It once housed the superior courts of the country: the Federal Court of Malaysia, the Court of Appeals and the High Court of Malaya. The Federal Court and the Court of Appeals had shifted to the Palace of Justice in Putrajaya during the early 2000s, while the High Court of Malaya shifted to the Kuala Lumpur Courts Complex in 2007. Topped by a shiny copper dome and a 41m high clock tower, it is a major landmark in the city. The clock tower houses a one-ton bell clock that strikes on the hour and half-hour. A 95-metre flagpole, one of the tallest in the world, marks that spot with a flat, round black marble plaque. It is located at the southern end of the Merdeka Square in front of the building. The building serves as the backdrop for important events such as the National Day Parade on 31 August and the ushering in of the New Year. Each of the 13 states plus the Federal Territories are represented in the National Day Parade, as are the many ethnic groups that comprise multiracial Malaysia. Behind the building flows the Klang River and Gombak River's confluence and in the middle of where the two rivers meet stands the Masjid Jamek (or Jamek Mosque), a mosque designed in similar architectural style.