n 1857, Chinese tin miners settled at the confluence of the Klang and Gombak rivers: the name Kuala Lumpur means “muddy confluence”. The city prospered, became capital of independent Malaysia in 1957 and kept its Moorish-style colonial buildings around Merdeka Square.
Since the 1990s, the Petronas Towers and Merdeka 118 have dominated the skyline. But KL is mostly lived at the table: nasi lemak at dawn, dim sum, roti canai and satay at the night market, between Chinatown, Little India and Kampung Baru.