Shah Alam
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| The [Neutral point of view>neutrality] of this article is [NPOV disputedisputed]. Please see the discussion on the [Shah Alam I and Shah Alam II. Shah Alam (population 356,066) is a city in Malaysia, about 25 km west of the country's capital, Kuala Lumpur. In 1978, it replaced Kuala Lumpur as the capital city of the state of Selangor due to Kuala Lumpur's incorporation into a Federal Territory. Long ago, Shah Alam was known as Sungai Renggam and is known only as an oil palm estate. Later, the same area was identified as Batu Tiga prior to Malaysian independence, and has been a centre of palm oil trade for centuries. Its current name was chosen by the then state Sultan of Selangor, Sultan Salahuddin Abdul Aziz Shah, after his late father Sultan Alam Shah. Many other monuments, buildings and even a street are named after the late Sultan. 
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City layoutShah Alam has a similar urban layout as Petaling Jaya with housing areas occupying most of the city areas (55.2 km²) and commercial centres scattered around the different 'Seksyen' (sections). The city has a number of shopping malls (SACC Mall, Plaza Shah Alam and Kompleks PKNS) and it has many schools, shops, banks, eateries, cafes, hotels, medical centres, clinics, large hypermarkets (notably Tesco, Giant and Makro) and recreational areas. Vibrant commercial areas are situated mostly at the city centre (Seksyen 14), Seksyen 13 and Seksyen 9. All main roads and streets in the city have signs with their names shown in both Roman and Jawi scripts. EconomyThe main plant of the Malaysian car manufacturer Proton is located in Shah Alam. There are many companies who have their main plants in the industrial areas, both local and foreign. Shah Alam flourished as a growing settlement after the Proton car manufacturing plant was set up, which marked the beginning of the city as an industrial city. The city was granted city status on 10 October 2000 with Dato' Haji Abu Sujak Haji Mahmud as the first City mayor. EducationThe Universiti Teknologi MARA (UiTM and formerly known as Institut Teknologi MARA or ITM) which is known as Malaysia's affirmative action symbol is located in the state capital. The whole university area covers a whole section at the western hills of the city known as Seksyen 1. At Seksyen 17, there is also a campus of UiTM, named INTEC, where its students undergo preparation programmes for overseas studies. Other institutions of higher learning in Shah Alam include Universiti Industri Selangor and PTPL College. Shah Alam is also served by many primary and secondary schools. This is a list of schools in Shah Alam.
CultureThe city also boasts the huge and modern Shah Alam Stadium with a capacity of 81, 000 and 5,500 parking lots where many fairs were held and the stadium is where the Selangor state team plays its football. A smaller indoor stadium, Stadium Melawati, and the Selangor Aquatic Centre are located nearby. TransportationIts main KTM Commuter Station is the 'Shah Alam' station which is situated at the southern part of the city in Seksyen 19. Shah Alam is well connected to other main cities in Klang Valley by highways, mainly by the Federal Highway, North Klang Valley Expressway (NKVE), Shah Alam Expressway (KESAS), Guthrie Corridor Expressway and the North-South Expressway (PLUS). Shah Alam is well connected to main transportation hubs such as the Kuala Lumpur International Airport (30 km south of the city) and KL Sentral in Kuala Lumpur. Buses and taxis are easy to find at commercial areas in the city. In the future (2007), Shah Alam have a light rail transit and monorail systems. Places of interestShah Alam is most famous for its mosque, the Sultan Salahuddin Abdul Aziz Mosque, also known as the Blue Mosque. It is the largest mosque in Malaysia and one of the largest in Southeast Asia. Its most salient feature is its large blue and white dome, which measures 170 feet in diameter and reaches 350 feet above ground level. The dome is one of the biggest domes covering a mosque in the world. The mosque also has four minarets erected at the corners, with each minaret 460 feet tall. The mosque was commissioned by the late Sultan Salahuddin Abdul Aziz, when he declared Shah Alam as the new capital of Selangor on February 14, 1974. Construction of the mosque was completed on March 11, 1988. The mosque can accommodate up to 24,000 worshippers. Shah Alam also houses the Selangor State Museum (Muzium Alam Shah) which displays many treasures and artifacts connected to the history of Selangor. Adjacent to the museum is the Selangor State Library (Perpustakaan Raja Tun Uda). The Selangor Islamic Arts Complex (Kompleks Kesenian Islam Selangor or Riyadh Fannil Islam) is situated nearby, housing many Islamic masterpieces and creativities such as a variety of Islamic calligraphy, known as khat, and a number of precious treasures. One of them is an old Qur'an obtained from an Acehnese months before the 2004 Indian Ocean tsunami struck. At the banks of the Lake Gardens, an art gallery and performance centre called Laman Budaya is located. Exhibitions and shows regularly take place here. The city is surrounded by many beautiful parks and gardens, such as Shah Alam Lake Gardens and Bukit Cahaya Sri Alam Agricultural Park (soon to be National Botanical Gardens). Other places of interest are:
HotelsHotels has a few hotels but not as much as Kuala Lumpur. These include [Carlton Holiday Hotel], Concorde Hotel (Seksyen 9), Grand Blue Wave Hotel (Seksyen 13), UiTM Hotel (Seksyen 1), Intekma Resort (Section 7), Quality Hotel (Seksyen 13), De Palma Inn Hotel (Seksyen 19). External links
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