Few countries wear their diversity as visibly as Malaysia. Walk through any major city and within a single afternoon you can climb the steps of a Hindu cave temple, bow beneath the eaves of a Chinese clan house, remove your shoes at a mosque and crane your neck at a glass-and-steel skyscraper. Malay, Chinese, Indian and colonial European traditions have layered themselves onto the landscape for centuries, and the result is an architectural conversation unlike anywhere else in Asia.
Batu Caves and the golden giant
Just north of Kuala Lumpur, a limestone hill rises abruptly from the suburbs, and at its foot stands one of the most photographed sights in the country. The Batu Caves are a complex of Hindu shrines set inside cathedral-like caverns. Guarding the 272 rainbow-coloured steps is a towering golden statue of Lord Murugan, standing about 42.7 metres tall, one of the tallest statues of a Hindu deity in the world. During the Thaipusam festival, more than a million devotees ascend the steps in an extraordinary display of faith.
Kek Lok Si and the Buddhist heights of Penang
On the island of Penang, the hillside above Air Itam is crowned by Kek Lok Si, one of the largest Buddhist temple complexes in Southeast Asia. Begun in the late nineteenth century, it climbs the slope in tiers of prayer halls, gardens and pagodas. Its centrepiece is a seven-storey pagoda that blends Chinese, Thai and Burmese styles in a single structure, topped by a Burmese crown. Above it stands a giant bronze statue of Kuan Yin, the Goddess of Mercy, sheltered beneath an ornate pavilion.
The Hindu and Chinese heart of the old cities
In central Kuala Lumpur, the Sri Mahamariamman Temple is the oldest Hindu temple in the city, its gateway tower crowded with hundreds of brightly painted sculptures of gods and mythological figures. Not far away, on a hilltop, the Thean Hou Temple is one of the grandest Chinese temples in Southeast Asia, a six-tiered building dedicated to the Sea Goddess Mazu, glowing with red lanterns and dragon-wrapped columns.
The historic city of Melaka guards the Cheng Hoon Teng Temple, the oldest functioning Chinese temple in Malaysia, its roof ridges alive with mosaic dragons. In George Town, the ornate Penang clan houses, above all the famous Khoo Kongsi, showcase the wealth and craftsmanship of the Chinese associations that shaped the island.
Mosques: from the modernist Masjid Negara to the pink Masjid Putra
Islam is the official religion of Malaysia, and its mosques range from bold modern statements to serene landmarks. The Masjid Negara, the National Mosque in Kuala Lumpur, breaks with tradition entirely: instead of a rounded dome it is topped by a folded, star-shaped blue roof resembling an open umbrella, a symbol of a newly independent nation.
In the planned capital of Putrajaya stands the Masjid Putra, the celebrated pink mosque, its dome and walls tinted rose by the use of pink granite. Rising beside a lake, it is one of the most beautiful mosques in the country and a favourite of photographers at sunset.
Colonial layers and the Sultan Abdul Samad Building
The British left their own architectural signature. Facing Merdeka Square in Kuala Lumpur, the Sultan Abdul Samad Building is a striking example of Mughal-inspired colonial design, with copper domes, arched colonnades and a clock tower. It was here, on this square, that the Malaysian flag was first raised at independence in 1957.
The modern skyline: Petronas Towers
No survey of Malaysian architecture is complete without the Petronas Twin Towers. Standing about 452 metres tall, they were the tallest buildings in the world when completed in 1998 and remain the tallest twin towers on Earth. Their design draws on Islamic geometric patterns, echoing the eight-pointed star, so that even this ultra-modern structure speaks the visual language of the country's Muslim heritage. A double-decker skybridge links the two towers midway up.
Putrajaya: a city built from a blank page
Perhaps the boldest architectural project of all is Putrajaya itself, the purpose-built federal administrative capital laid out from the 1990s on former plantation land. Its wide boulevards, monumental bridges, government palaces and grand mosques were designed as a showcase of a modern Islamic garden city, blending Islamic, Malay and contemporary forms. Together with the temples, clan houses and colonial relics of the older cities, it completes a portrait of a nation that has never been afraid to build in many voices at once.