Putrajaya a grandiose dream
Putrajaya a grandiose dream
Julia Yeow, Deutsche Presse-Agentur, Putrajaya, Malaysia
A majestic room in the west wing of the prime minister's official residence offers guests a commanding sight of Malaysia's newest tourist attraction -- the sprawling administrative capital of Putrajaya.
The view from the prime minister's official home, a mansion built on a hillside, offers glimpses of a two-tiered concrete bridge, and a large pink-domed mosque built along one of the world's largest man- made lakes.
These commanding sights are just some of the attractions at the 4,580-hectare city which was carved out and built from scratch from a vast land of rubber and palm oil plantations. The US$5.3 billion city was the pet project of former prime minister Mahathir Mohamad, and the veteran leader's grand plans are not finished yet.
Mahathir named the city after Malaysia's founding father, Tunku Abdul Rahman Putra, adding jaya, the Malay word for "success".
Government buildings that mix modern facilities with centuries-old Islamic architecture are a common sight, and rows of apartment blocks and even shopping malls have begun to take shape.
Visitors can take a guided tour of the prime minister's residence, called Seri Perdana, which includes visiting a banquet hall, a prayer chamber featuring walls carved with Muslim calligraphy, a meeting room and a guest lounge.
Officials estimate that more than one million people have visited the halls of Seri Perdana in just over three years.
"The house is very beautiful," Wang Qi Hong, a college lecturer from China, said at the end of his tour of Seri Perdana's bougainvillea-filled garden. "I would have liked to see more of it."
Another landmark is a massive mosque constructed in rose- tinted granite with a soaring 116-meter-tall minaret. Built to accommodate 15,000 worshipers, the structure also hosts a permanent exhibition of rare copies of the Koran.
But Putrajaya not only offers sights of grand architecture; it also boasts of breathtaking scenery with it's meticulously designed and manicured hills and freshwater wetlands teeming with swans, flamingos and nearly 60,000 trees and shrubs.
Besides trekking in the wetlands, nature-lovers can take a stroll at Putrajaya's Botanical Gardens, which contains more than 700 plant species from across Asia and Africa.
The place also boasts a 170-meter-long bridge enabling visitors to walk through a canopy of a rain forest.
A breathtaking artificial lake that covers more than one-tenth of Putrajaya's total area also beckons the more adventurous visitor. Tourists can choose to go kayaking in the seven- kilometer-long lake or cruise on gondola-like vessels.
But despite all the attractions, the metropolis is eerily quiet, a sign of difficulties convincing people to move their lives from chaotic, vibrant Kuala Lumpur to the new city, located about 40 kilometers away.
Authorities are also hard-pressed to boost Putrajaya's modest number of foreign visitors -- an estimated 200,000 in 2003 -- and lure millions of Malaysians who have never set foot here.
"If I were to go someplace for a vacation, I wouldn't choose to come to Putrajaya," said Sam Wong, a resident of Kuala Lumpur visiting Putrajaya for the first time.
"It's architecture and grandiose (quality) is worth making a visit, but there aren't enough attractions to make it a holiday destination," he said.
However, officials say the lack of interest is just part of teething problems, and plan to build more attractions in Putrajaya over the next three years, including a gargantuan shopping mall, artificial picnic beach, water theme park and maritime museum.
"Once everything is in place, Putrajaya will be an awesome city to visit -- it gives visitors a blend of the extremely modern, with the beauty of nature," said an official.