- Address: Jalan Parlimen, Kuala Lumpur, 50480 Kuala Lumpur, Wilayah Persekutuan Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
- Phone: +60 12-235 6023
- Height: 15 m
- Opening: 1966
- Working hours: daily 07: 00-18: 00
In the south of the Malaysian capital, near the Lake Gardens, there is the National Monument, which was built as a tribute to the memory of the heroes who died during the Japanese occupation during the Second World War. Until 2010, there was a ceremony of laying flowers and wreaths, in which the Prime Minister of Malaysia and the heads of the armed forces of the country participated.
History of the National Monument
The idea of creating this monument belonged to the first Prime Minister of Malaysia Tunka Abdul Rahman, who was inspired by the military memorial of the Marine Corps in the American county of Arlington. To the design of the National Monument, he drew the Austrian sculptor Felix de Weldon, whose work can be found all over the world. The official opening was held on February 8, 1966 in the presence of the head of the country Ismail Nassiruddin, Sultan Terengganu.
In August 1975, near the National Monument, an explosion broke out, which was organized by members of the Communist Party banned in the country. The reconstruction was completed in May 1977. Then it was decided to erect a monument around the monument and declare it a protected territory.
Design of the National Monument
In connection with the fact that the sculptor Felix de Weldon is also the author of a military memorial in the county of Arlington, between his two works there is some similarity. When creating the National monument 15 m high, pure bronze was used. Figures of the soldiers were created from stone, which was brought from the south-eastern part of Sweden, more precisely, from the city of Karlshamn. The monument is the highest in the world classical bronze sculpture.
The national monument depicts a group of soldiers, in the center of which is a soldier with a Malaysian flag in his hands. On both sides of it there are two soldiers: one has a machine gun in his hands, and the other has a bayonet and a rifle. In total, the composition includes seven figures, embodying such human qualities as:
- leadership;
- courage;
- unity;
- suffering;
- vigilance;
- force;
- self-sacrifice.
On the granite foundation of the National Monument there is a coat of arms of Malaysia, around which the inscription "Dedicated to the heroes who fell in the struggle for peace and freedom" is engraved in Latin, Malaysian and English. May Allah bless them. "
Around this memorial, disputes still remain. The leadership of the National Council of Fatwa in Malaysia calls it "not Islamic" and even "idolatrous". Minister of Defense of the country Zahid Hamidi said that soon the square of soldiers will be built, on which it will be possible to honor the memory of the heroes. In September 2016 Mufti Harussani Zakariya spoke about the fact that in Islam the construction of monuments depicting people like the National Monument is a great sin (haraam).
How to get to the National Monument?
In order to see this sculpture, you need to drive to the south of Kuala Lumpur . The National Monument is located near the ASEAN Gardens and the Tun Razak Memorial. From the center of the capital to it can be reached on foot, by taxi or metro. If you walk south through the park along Jalan Kebun Bunga Street, you can be there in 20 minutes.
Motorists prefer to get to the National Monument on the road number 1 or the Jalan Parlimen road. With the usual congestion of the route all the way takes the same 20 minutes.
About 1 km from the National Monument is the Masjid Jamek metro station, which can be reached via the KJL line. From it to the desired object, a 20-minute walk along Jalan Parlimen Street.