Ampang, Kuala Lumpur
| Ampang | |
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A view from Ampang Road, with the Petronas Twin Towers on the left.
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 Ampang
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| Coordinates: 3°9′38″N 101°44′9″E / 3.16056°N 101.73583°E | |
| Country | Malaysia |
| State | Federal Territory of Kuala Lumpur |
| Constituency | Titiwangsa |
| Government | |
| • Local Authority | Dewan Bandaraya Kuala Lumpur |
| • Mayor | Mhd Amin Nordin Abdul Aziz |
| Time zone | MST (UTC+8) |
| Postcode | 68xxx |
| Dialling code | +60 3 |
| Police | Dang Wangi |
| Fire | Pudu |
Ampang is a historic town and district of Kuala Lumpur (KL) in the Titiwangsa constituency, partly located in the state of Selangor, Malaysia and was historically a tin mining town. Its area in Kuala Lumpur can be identified as being along the Ampang Road and Ampang Hilir.
Ampang's history is closely related to the history of Kuala Lumpur. In 1857, Raja Abdullah, a representative of the Selangor Sultanate, opened up the Klang Valley for tin mining. 87 Chinese miners from Lukut went up the river Klang and landed at Kuala Lumpur, then walked for a few miles through a jungle path to Ampang and began prospecting in the Ampang area. However, within a month 69 of the 87 miners had died due to the malarial conditions of the area, and Raja Abdullah sent another 150 men to continue the work. Eventually the death rate dropped, and the first tin was exported in 1859. The success of tin mining at Ampang led to the development of Kuala Lumpur. The name "Ampang" means "dam" in Malay and the place was named in reference to the miners' dams.
Kuala Lumpur of which Ampang is part of was made capital of Selangor in 1880 and the capital of the Federation of Malaysia in 1963.
There are lots of pre-war buildings along Ampang Road. The Eng Choon Assembly Hall on Ampang Road for example was built in 1930. Its inner structure was rebuilt to support a taller building within. Eu Tong Sen, a leading businessman in the early 1900s, built a villa in 1935 on Ampang Road. The same location was used by the British government as a military base. Over time it was renovated and reopened as the National Art Gallery on 27 August 1958 and much later refurbished to become the Malaysia Tourism Centre (MaTiC). Eu Tong Sen also owned a tin mine in Ampang which was the first to install an electricity generator in 1914.
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