Portrait of Kuala Lumpur [antikvár]

INTRODUCING KUALA LUMPUR origins of Mdkysm Aboriginal Malays began inhabiting peninsular Malaysia some 1 0,000 years ago, moving in most probably from somewhere in southwest China. The history of the land is bound up with the powerful Sri Vijaya (Sriwijayo) empire in the 7th century, based in Sumatra and controlling Q large area that included the Malay peninsula. The early 15th century saw the ascent of a powerful Islamic state based in Melaka. Melaka's wealth came from its strategic position for merchant ships travelling from the east and the west. The lucrative spice trade began to attract European powers and the Portuguese took Melaka in 1511, followed by the Dutch in 1 641, who ruled until the rise of the British empire in the late 1 8th and early 19th century. When the Straits Settlements (Penang, Melaka and Singapore) were ceded to the British in 1 826 it paved the way for widespread colonial control in the interior. By 1 914 the Union Jack flew over the entire Malay Peninsula.