Little is known about the prehistory of Kuala Lumpur and its surrounding areas, except for the finding of some Neolithic artifacts at Gombak and Batu Caves. There are early records indicating that area was inhabited but by traces population. There was an Orang Asli community living around Kuala Lumpur in the late 19th century.
The history of the foundation of Kuala Lumpur can be said to begin in the middle of the 19th century. In 1857, Raja Abdullah, the representative of the Yam Tuan who administered Klang, came to explore the district looking for tin ore. He was assisted by Raja Jumaat of Lukut and 87 Chinese workers. After travelling up the Klang River as far as its confluence with the Gombak River, they made their way through deep jungle and found tin near Ampang. That moment marked the beginning of Kuala Lumpur’s development. Over the years it grew from a tin miner’s camp into a commercial center that was able to attract large numbers of investors from elsewhere.
After the arrival of Yap Ah Loy in the 1860s development progressed at a faster pace. Then in March 1880, the British moved their seat of administration from Klang to Kuala Lumpur. And with this move, they took charge of the running and expansion of the town. With the British presence the town continued its development and according to a well prepared plan. This soon saw Kuala Lumpur
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begin to turn into a comfortable urban center with a completely new look. Having been destroyed many times by minor civil wars and fires, the planning of the city and its re-building was facilitated by the British. One of the early administrators who oversaw this development was Frank Swettenhan, the British Resident of Selangor who took the post in 1882.
Office buildings and shop-houses of several stories appeared and brightened the scene during the late 19th and early 20th century, Attap houses disappeared and were replaces by structures built with bricks. By 1887, there were 518 brick houses in Kuala Lumpur while in 1894, the construction of buildings in the Moorish Islamic style began. From 1885 the population of Kuala Lumpur grew rapidly, and this was due to the arrival of more traders as well as settlers who came to the town in search of their fortunes. To cater to the growing population there was a host of new amenities that were built, such as the Lake Gardens now known as Taman Tasik Perdana.
In 1896, Kuala Lumpur took on a new significance with the formation of the Federated Malay States, of which it became the capital. When the Federation of Malaya (Modern Peninsular Malaysia) gained its independence in 1957, Kuala Lumpur assumed an even more important role as the capital city of the new nation.
