Fascinating Putrajaya
By: Faridah Begum
The nation's administrative city has many attractions that make it a worthwhile place to visit.
1. PERDANA PUTRA
Inspired by former Prime Minister, Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad, Perdana Putra houses the Prime Minister's Department and overlooks the beautiful Putrajaya Lake. The structural design is strongly influenced by the Malay, Islamic and European cultures.
2. PUTRA MOSQUE
The Putra Mosque is the principal mosque of Putrajaya and is located next to Perdana Putra. There is a large square in front of the mosque that has flagpoles flying the Malaysian states' flags and is a stopover for the numerous of foreign guests who visit daily.
3. PUTRAJAYA INDEPENDENCE SQUARE
The Putrajaya Independence Square or Dataran Merdeka is a city square used or the national day parades and for festivals. It is located opposite the Perdana Putra.
4. Millennium Monument
This national monument is located in a 25ha park in Precint 2 of Putrajaya and was the first national monument to be built here. Built in the shape of the national flower - the hibiscus - it stands at 68m tall and is constructed of solid metal structures.
5. PUTRAJAYA WETLANDS PARK
Putrajaya Wetlands Park is believed to be the largest constructed freshwater wetlands in the tropics. It has a total area of 3.35 sq km and comprises the Wetlands Park, which is also a wildlife sanctuary which attracts a huge variety of animals to the combined terrestrial-aquatic wetland environment.
6. TAMAN SELATAN
Taman Selatan or Southern Park is a cemetery quite like the Arlington National Cemetery in Washington DC, in the United States. It has 570 grave plots, of which 331 are reserves for Muslims, 94 for Buddhists, 55 for Christians, 61 for Hindus and the final 29 plots for those of other religions. Among the notables buried here are the current Prime Minister's late wife Datin Seri Endon Mahmood and Petronas president Tan Sri Azizan Zainal Abidin.
7. MELAWATI PALACE
The Melawati Palace, also known as Istana Hinggap, is a retreat of the Yang di-Pertuan Agong. Located in Precint 1, Purtajaya, it was completed in 2002.
8. PUTRAJAYA LAKE
Located at the centre of this new and latest Federal Territory of Malaysia, it is a 650ha man-made lake that acts as a natural cooling system for the city and is also used for recreation, fishing, water sports and water transport. In September 2004, the F1 Powerboat Championship was held on this lake for the first time and in 2005, Putrajaya hosted the Asian Canoeing Championships.
9. ALAMANDA PUTRAJAYA
Alamanda Putrajaya is the first shopping centre built in Putrajaya and has French hypermarket giant, Carrefour, as an anchor tenant and 180 other tenants. The shopping centre has a variety of shops, restaurants, bowling alleys, movie theatres and a food court illuminated by natural lighting. The centre also features Malaysia' first travelator within a shopping complex that connects the retail outlets and provides access directly to car parks.
10. FOOD
All Malaysian food, even those peculiar to the individual states, can be found here especially in the food court adjacent to the Putrajaya Mosque and in the shopping centre, Alamanda Putrajaya.
Source: Sunday Metro, February 3, 2008
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