Ampang Jaya, more commonly known as just Ampang, is a town, a
mukim
A mukim is a type of administrative division used in Brunei, Indonesia, Malaysia and Singapore. The word ''mukim'' is a loanword in English language, English. However, it was also originally a loanword in Malay language, Malay from the Arabic word ...
and a
parliamentary constituency
An electoral (congressional, legislative, etc.) district, sometimes called a constituency, riding, or ward, is a geographical portion of a political unit, such as a country, state or province, city, or administrative region, created to provi ...
straddling parts of the
Hulu Langat District
Hulu Langat District is a district of Malaysia located in the southeastern corner of Selangor, between Kuala Lumpur and Negeri Sembilan. It is bordered by the state of Pahang to the east and north, Gombak district to the north-west, Federal Terr ...
and
Gombak District
The Gombak District is an administrative Districts of Malaysia, district located in the eastern-central part of the state of Selangor, Malaysia. The district was created on February 1, 1974, the same day when Kuala Lumpur was declared a Federal T ...
, in eastern
Selangor
Selangor ( ; ), also known by the Arabic language, Arabic honorific Darul Ehsan, or "Abode of Sincerity", is one of the 13 states of Malaysia. It is on the west coast of Peninsular Malaysia and is bordered by Perak to the north, Pahang to the e ...
,
Malaysia
Malaysia is a country in Southeast Asia. Featuring the Tanjung Piai, southernmost point of continental Eurasia, it is a federation, federal constitutional monarchy consisting of States and federal territories of Malaysia, 13 states and thre ...
. It is located just outside the eastern border of
Kuala Lumpur
Kuala Lumpur (KL), officially the Federal Territory of Kuala Lumpur, is the capital city and a Federal Territories of Malaysia, federal territory of Malaysia. It is the largest city in the country, covering an area of with a census population ...
Federal Territory.
It is administered by the Ampang Jaya Municipal Council (MPAJ), which is the formal name of the township as well.
History
Kuala Lumpur was founded in 1857 at the confluence of the Sungei Lumpur (now
Gombak River
The Gombak River () is a river which flows through Selangor and Kuala Lumpur in Malaysia. It is a tributary of the Klang River. The point where it meets the Klang River is the origin of Kuala Lumpur's name.
Gombak River used to be called the Su ...
) and the
Klang River
The Klang River () flows through Kuala Lumpur and Selangor in Malaysia and eventually flows into the Straits of Malacca. It is approximately in length and drains a basin of about . The Klang River has 11 major tributaries.
Because the river flo ...
, which now houses the
Kuala Lumpur Jamek Mosque. Before the arrival of the Chinese for
tin mining
Tin mining began early in the Bronze Age, as bronze is a copper-tin alloy. Tin is a relatively rare element in the Earth's crust, with approximately 2 ppm (parts per million), compared to iron with 50,000 ppm.
History
Tin extraction and use ca ...
, Kuala Lumpur was a small hamlet with only several shops and houses.
Raja Abdullah, who is also the representative of the Sultan in Klang, and Raja Juma'at of
Lukut
Lukut is a suburb located to the northeast of Port Dickson, Negeri Sembilan, Malaysia.
It was once part of Selangor, serving as a thriving tin mining town in the early 19th-century before being ceded to Sungai Ujong domain in 1880 to wh ...
sent 87 Chinese miners from Lukut in 1857 to open tin mines in Ampang, thus beginning the development of Kuala Lumpur.
Ampang was one of the earliest areas in the Klang Valley to be opened for tin mining. The name "Ampang" derives from the old spelling of the Malay word ''empangan'' (or ''ampangan''), meaning ''dam''; the place was named in reference to the miners' dams.
A road was built to connect Ampang to Kuala Lumpur which is today
Jalan Ampang
Jalan Ampang or Ampang Road (Selangor state route B31) is a major road in the Klang Valley region, Selangor and the Federal Territory of Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. Built in the 1880s, it is one of the oldest roads in the Klang Valley. It is a main r ...
.
Between colonial rule and February 1974, Ampang district was part of the greater Kuala Lumpur district in Selangor. Following the creation of the Federal Territory of Kuala Lumpur on 1 February 1974, Ampang district was split into two; the western part, located within the Federal Territory, became
Ampang Hilir, and the eastern part, remained in Selangor, as part of
Hulu Langat (Kajang) District.
During the height of the
Malayan Emergency
The Malayan Emergency, also known as the Anti–British National Liberation War, was a guerrilla warfare, guerrilla war fought in Federation of Malaya, Malaya between communist pro-independence fighters of the Malayan National Liberation Arm ...
in the 1950s, the British established the Ampang
New Village
New villages (; ), also known as Chinese new villages (, ), were Internment, internment camps created during the waning days of British Empire, British British Malaya, rule in Malaysia. They were originally created as part of the Briggs Plan, fi ...
, which became one of the largest Chinese settlements in the
Klang Valley
Klang Valley () is an urban agglomeration in Malaysia that is centered in the federal territories of Kuala Lumpur and Putrajaya, and including their adjoining cities and towns in the state of Selangor. It is the urban area of the much larger Ku ...
. The Kau Ong Yah Lam Thian Kiong Temple (安邦南天宮) in Ampang New Village is famous for the
Nine Emperor Gods
The Nine Emperor Gods Festival (; ; ) or Vegetarian Festival or Jay Festival is a nine-day Taoist celebration beginning on the eve of the ninth lunar month of the Chinese calendar, celebrated primarily in Southeast Asian countries such as Malays ...
festival, which is celebrated annually on the 9th month of the Chinese lunar calendar, between late-September and early-October.

On 1 July 1992, the
Gombak District Council (''Majlis Daerah Gombak'') and the
Hulu Langat District Council (''Majlis Daerah Hulu Langat'') respectively ceded the districts of
Ulu Klang
Ulu Kelang (alternately Hulu Kelang, Ulu Klang, or Hulu Klang), is a mukim and a state constituency in Gombak District, Selangor, Malaysia
Malaysia is a country in Southeast Asia. Featuring the Tanjung Piai, southernmost point of contine ...
and Ampang, forming the Ampang Jaya Municipal Council.
One block of the Highland Towers, located within Ampang Jaya's territory, collapsed on 11 December 1993.
On 16 December 1996, Malaysia's first
metro line
The Metro Line is a light rail line on the Edmonton LRT system. The line operates from northwest Edmonton to south Edmonton, and began operation on September 6, 2015. The line consists of ten stations, three of which are exclusive to the line ...
, the
LRT Ampang Line
,
,
The LRT Ampang Line and the LRT Sri Petaling Line are medium-capacity light rapid transit (LRT) lines in the Klang Valley, Malaysia. The combined network comprises of tracks with 36 stations and was the first railway in Malaysia to us ...
, opened for service.
Geography
Situated to the east of Kuala Lumpur, Ampang Jaya covers an area of 143.5 km
2, covering the parliamentary constituencies of
Ampang,
Pandan and
Gombak
The Gombak District is an administrative district located in the eastern-central part of the state of Selangor, Malaysia. The district was created on February 1, 1974, the same day when Kuala Lumpur was declared a Federal Territory.
History
Go ...
, and stretches from
Pandan Indah
Pandan Indah (Jawi alphabet, Jawi: ڤندن اينده; ) is a major township in Ampang, Selangor, Ampang, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. It is located between Ampang proper and Cheras, Kuala Lumpur, Cheras.
Pandan Indah has the basic facilities of a mo ...
from the south, through Ampang town, Hulu Klang,
Melawati, and touching the
Klang Gates Dam
Klang Gates Dam (Malay: ''Empangan Klang Gates'') is a dam in Ulu Klang, Gombak District, Selangor, Malaysia. It is also known as the Bukit Tabur Dam. Completed in 1958, the dam is the first dam in Malaysia for water supply. It is a concrete arch ...
in the north.
Clockwise, Ampang Jaya borders the remainder of
Hulu Langat District
Hulu Langat District is a district of Malaysia located in the southeastern corner of Selangor, between Kuala Lumpur and Negeri Sembilan. It is bordered by the state of Pahang to the east and north, Gombak district to the north-west, Federal Terr ...
in the east and south, the
Federal Territory of Kuala Lumpur
Kuala Lumpur (KL), officially the Federal Territory of Kuala Lumpur, is the capital city and a Federal Territories of Malaysia, federal territory of Malaysia. It is the largest city in the country, covering an area of with a census population ...
in the west,
Gombak District
The Gombak District is an administrative Districts of Malaysia, district located in the eastern-central part of the state of Selangor, Malaysia. The district was created on February 1, 1974, the same day when Kuala Lumpur was declared a Federal T ...
in the north, and a short border with
Bentong
Bentong, the seat of Bentong District, is a town located in western Pahang, Malaysia, at the border with the state of Selangor in the west and the state of Negeri Sembilan in the south.
Government
Bentong Municipal Council () is the local au ...
(
Pahang
{{Infobox political division
, name = Pahang
, official_name = Pahang Darul Makmur
, native_name =
, settlement_type = States and federal territories of Malaysia, State
, image_skyline =
, imagesize ...
) in the northeast.
Demographics
Ampang is known for its diverse ethnic makeup. Data from MPAJ shows that 56.5% of Ampang Jaya's residents are
Malays, while the
Chinese make up about 30%.
Indians make up 7%, while the remainder is made up of other ethnicities, nationalities and expatriates.
Culture

Ampang is famous for
yong tau foo, a stuffed bean curd dish of
Hakka
The Hakka (), sometimes also referred to as Hakka-speaking Chinese, or Hakka Chinese, or Hakkas, are a southern Han Chinese subgroup whose principal settlements and ancestral homes are dispersed widely across the provinces of southern China ...
origin.
Education
The former
International School of Kuala Lumpur (ISKL) secondary campus is in Ampang. The
ADNI Islamic school is also based in the town.
List of Schools in Ampang Jaya
Primary Schools
* Sekolah Kebangsaan Ampang
* Sekolah Kebangsaan Ampang Campuran
* Sekolah Kebangsaan Cheras Indah
* Sekolah Kebangsaan (1) Kuala Ampang
* Sekolah Kebangsaan (2) Kuala Ampang
* Sekolah Kebangsaan Pandan Indah
* Sekolah Kebangsaan Pandan Perdana
* Sekolah Kebangsaan Taman Bukit Indah
* Sekolah Kebangsaan Taman Keramat
* Sekolah Kebangsaan Taman Kosas
* Sekolah Kebangsaan Taman Melawati
* Sekolah Kebangsaan Taman Nirwana
* Sekolah Jenis Kebangsaan (Cina) On Pong
Secondary School
* Sekolah Menengah Kebangsaan Bandar Baru Ampang
* Sekolah Menengah Kebangsaan Bukit Indah
* Sekolah Menengah Kebangsaan Hulu Klang
* Sekolah Menengah Kebangsaan Pandan Indah
* Sekolah Menengah Kebangsaan Pandan Jaya
* Sekolah Menengah Kebangsaan Pandan Mewah
* Sekolah Menengah Kebangsaan Taman Melawati
* Sekolah Menengah Kebangsaan Taman Keramat
* Sekolah Menengah Kebangsaan Taman Kosas
* Sekolah Menengah Kebangsaan Taman Seraya
* Sekolah Menengah Kebangsaan Tasek Permai
List of Higher Learning Institutions in Ampang Jaya
Public Higher Learning Institutions
*
Universiti Sains Islam Malaysia
Universiti Sains Islam Malaysia (; ; abbreviated as USIM) is an Islamic university in Nilai, Seremban, Negeri Sembilan, which is fully owned and funded by the Malaysian government. Being the 12th Public Institution of Higher Learning ( Malay ...
Ampang Campus (Pandan Indah)
* Kolej Komuniti Ampang (Taman Bukit Indah)
The nearest private higher learning institution to Ampang Jaya, Poly-Tech Mara University (UPTM) in Cheras is located adjacent to the boundary between Pandan Indah, Ampang and Shamelin, Cheras, Kuala Lumpur.
Politics
Ampang is represented in the
Dewan Rakyat
The Dewan Rakyat (; Jawi script, Jawi: ), is the lower house of the Bicameralism, bicameral Parliament of Malaysia, Parliament which is the federal legislature of Malaysia. The chamber and its powers are established by Article 44 of the Constitu ...
of the
Malaysian Parliament
The Parliament of Malaysia (; Jawi script, Jawi: ) is the national legislature of Malaysia, based on the Westminster system. The bicameral parliament consists of the Dewan Rakyat (House of Representatives, Literal translation, lit. "People's As ...
by
Rodziah Ismail of
PKR. She has held the seat since
2022
The year began with another wave in the COVID-19 pandemic, with SARS-CoV-2 Omicron variant, Omicron spreading rapidly and becoming the dominant variant of the SARS-CoV-2 virus worldwide. Tracking a decrease in cases and deaths, 2022 saw ...
.
On the state level, Ampang contributes two seats to the
Selangor State Legislative Assembly
The Selangor State Legislative Assembly () is the unicameral Dewan Undangan Negeri, state legislature of the Malaysian Malay states, state of Selangor. The State Assembly is composed of 56 members representing single-member constituencies througho ...
, namely:
*
Lembah Jaya, represented by
Syed Ahmad Syed Abdul Rahman Alhadad @ Altimet of
PKR; and
*
Bukit Antarabangsa, represented by Mohd Kamri Kamaruddin of
PKR.
The Ampang Jaya municipality however also covers the
Pandan parliamentary constituency and the
Hulu Klang state constituency within the
Gombak
The Gombak District is an administrative district located in the eastern-central part of the state of Selangor, Malaysia. The district was created on February 1, 1974, the same day when Kuala Lumpur was declared a Federal Territory.
History
Go ...
parliamentary constituency.
Transportation
Car
Effectively a suburb of Kuala Lumpur, Ampang is well connected to other places by a series of federal highways, tolled highways and state routes.
Jalan Ampang
Jalan Ampang or Ampang Road (Selangor state route B31) is a major road in the Klang Valley region, Selangor and the Federal Territory of Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. Built in the 1880s, it is one of the oldest roads in the Klang Valley. It is a main r ...
is the main thoroughfare from downtown Kuala Lumpur until Taman Rimba Ampang. The
AKLEH diverted some of the traffic from Jalan Ampang. The
MRR2
Kuala Lumpur Middle Ring Road 2 (MRR2 or Kuala Lumpur Middle Ring Road 2 Scheme), Federal Route 28, is a ring road built by the Malaysian Public Works Department (JKR) to connect neighborhoods near the boundary of Federal Territory of Kuala Lumpur ...
Federal Route 28 runs through Ampang in a north–south orientation - this road is now the main route taken by Ampang motorists to get to either
Pahang
{{Infobox political division
, name = Pahang
, official_name = Pahang Darul Makmur
, native_name =
, settlement_type = States and federal territories of Malaysia, State
, image_skyline =
, imagesize ...
due north or
Negeri Sembilan
Negeri Sembilan (, Negeri Sembilan Malay: ''Nogoghi Sombilan'', ''Nismilan''), historically spelled as Negri Sembilan, is a States and federal territories of Malaysia, state in Malaysia which lies on the Peninsular Malaysia#Other features, wes ...
due south. The
Besraya Expressway
The Sungai Besi Expressway, abbreviated as SBE, is a major controlled-access highway in the Klang Valley region of Peninsular Malaysia. The expressway runs between Serdang, Selangor, Serdang and Ampang, Selangor, Ampang, Selangor through southeast ...
extension begins in Kampung Ampang Campuran, goes through
Pandan Indah
Pandan Indah (Jawi alphabet, Jawi: ڤندن اينده; ) is a major township in Ampang, Selangor, Ampang, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. It is located between Ampang proper and Cheras, Kuala Lumpur, Cheras.
Pandan Indah has the basic facilities of a mo ...
and all the way to
Seri Kembangan
Seri Kembangan, also known as Serdang, formerly known as Serdang New Village, is a town located in Petaling District, Selangor, Malaysia. It is located in between Kuala Lumpur and Putrajaya. The town is now a considerable city in size. It is loc ...
.
Besides that, there is a
state-level hill road to Hulu Langat which serves as a shortcut to
Kajang
Kajang is a city in Hulu Langat District, Selangor, Malaysia, located southeast of Kuala Lumpur. Kajang, along with much of Hulu Langat District, is governed by the Kajang Municipal Council. Kajang town is located on the eastern banks of the L ...
.
Public transportation
is the namesake and terminus of the
Ampang Line
,
,
The LRT Ampang Line and the LRT Sri Petaling Line are medium-capacity light rapid transit (LRT) lines in the Klang Valley, Malaysia. The combined network comprises of tracks with 36 stations and was the first railway in Malaysia to us ...
, which is Malaysia's first LRT/metro system. The station, renovated in 2012, is located along Jalan Ampang. The stretch between Ampang and used to be part of
KTM Intercity
KTM Intercity () are diesel-hauled intercity train services in Peninsular Malaysia, operated by Keretapi Tanah Melayu Berhad (KTMB). Services operate along the East Coast Line between Tumpat and Gemas and on towards JB Sentral on the Wes ...
until the 1990s. KTM presently does not serve Ampang or its surroundings.
Other than the aforementioned Ampang station, the Ampang Jaya municipal district is also served by the
Cahaya,
Cempaka,
Pandan Indah
Pandan Indah (Jawi alphabet, Jawi: ڤندن اينده; ) is a major township in Ampang, Selangor, Ampang, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. It is located between Ampang proper and Cheras, Kuala Lumpur, Cheras.
Pandan Indah has the basic facilities of a mo ...
and
Pandan Jaya stations, all on the Ampang Line.
The Cempaka-Pandan Jaya stretch is however not in Ampang proper, but located in the adjacent constituency of
Pandan instead.
According to unofficial proposals, a
MRT Circle Line
The MRT Circle Line, also known as MRT 3, is a proposed thirteenth rail transit line, the third Klang Valley Mass Rapid Transit, Mass Rapid Transit line and the fifth List of automated urban metro subway systems, fully automated and driverles ...
, surrounding downtown Kuala Lumpur would be built. Ampang station was reportedly one of the possible stops, along
Abdullah Hukum,
Bandar Malaysia,
Segambut
Segambut is a sub-district in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. The federal constituency represented in the Dewan Rakyat is Segambut (federal constituency).
From the high-end condominiums of Mont Kiara and Sri Hartamas to the middle-class areas of Tam ...
,
Sentul Timur,
Jelatek and
Taman Midah.
Besides the LRT, bus and taxi options are available. For example,
rapidKL bus route 300 leads from the Ampang LRT station to
KLCC.
Demand Responsive Transit (DRT)
Officially launched on 1 December 2023, Trek Rides is an on-demand van-hailing service that provides affordable and convenient transportation for residents of Pandan Indah, Pandan Jaya, Taman Muda, Bandar Baru Ampang, Taman Dagang, Kampung Baru Ampang and KL side Taman Maluri, currently every way fare is RM2. The service operates from 7 am to 9 pm and can be booked through the Trek Rides mobile application via the multiple payment option.
See also
*
Ampang, Kuala Lumpur, Kuala Lumpur's portion of greater Ampang
References
{{Authority control
Mukims of Selangor
1992 establishments in Malaysia
Towns in Selangor