The Kuala Lumpur (KL) old map shows evolutions of Kuala Lumpur (KL) city. This historical map of Kuala Lumpur (KL) will allow you to travel in the past and in the history of Kuala Lumpur (KL) in Malaysia. The Kuala Lumpur (KL) ancient map is downloadable in PDF, printable and free.

The miners landed at the confluence of Sungai Gombak (previously known as Sungai Lumpur, meaning "muddy river") and Sungai Klang (Klang River) to open mines at Ampang, Pudu and Batu as you can see in Kuala Lumpur (KL) historical map. These mines developed into a trading post which became a frontier town. The tin prospectors settled in Ampang, and formed gangs within themselves. The two largest Chinese gangsters, the Hakka-dominated Hai San and the Hokkien-dominated Ghee Hin, frequently engaged in warfare to gain control of tin production in the historical town of Kuala Lumpur (KL). The incessant warfare between the two factions brought tin mine production to a standstill, prompting the British, who ruled the Federation of Malaya at that time, to appoint a Chinese Kapitan (headman) to administer Kuala Lumpur (KL).

Hiu Siew, the owner of a mine in Lukut, was elected as the first Kapitan. As one of the first traders to arrive in Ampang (along with Yap Ah Sze), he sold provisions to the miners in exchange for tin. During the early times, Kuala Lumpur (KL) had many problems, including the Selangor Civil War; it was also plagued by diseases and constant fires and floods. Around the 1870s, the third Chinese Kapitan of Kuala Lumpur (KL), Yap Ah Loy, emerged as leader, and became responsible for the survival and subsequent systematic growth of this historical town. He began to develop Kuala Lumpur (KL) from a small, obscure settlement into a booming mining town as its shown in Kuala Lumpur (KL) historical map. In 1880, the state capital of Selangor was moved from Klang to the more strategically advantageous Kuala Lumpur (KL).

In 1881, a flood swept through the historical town of Kuala Lumpur (KL), following a fire that had engulfed it earlier. These successive problems destroyed the town structures of wood and atap (thatching). As a response, Frank Swettenham, the British Resident of Selangor, required that buildings be constructed of brick and tile. Hence, Kapitan Yap Ah Loy bought a sprawling piece of real estate for the setting up of a brick industry which would spur the rebuilding of Kuala Lumpur (KL). This place is the eponymous Brickfields. Hence, destroyed atap buildings were replaced with brick and tiled ones. He restructured the building layout of the city. Many of the new brick buildings mirrored those of shop houses in southern China as its mentioned in Kuala Lumpur (KL) historical map, characterised by "five foot ways" as well as skilled Chinese carpentry work. This resulted in a distinct eclectic shop house architecture typical to this region. A railway line increased accessibility into the growing town.