Setapak is a town and

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 ...

straddling both northeastern

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 ...

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 ...

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 ...

Etymology

Formerly a tin-mining and rubber estate area, in Malay ''tapak'' means ''step'', hence ''Setapak'' means ''one step'', probably referring to the close proximity of the suburb to Kuala Lumpur. Another explanation of the origin of its name traces to its historical roots.

History

The earliest inhabitants of Setapak were the aborigines (''orang asli''), and the Minangkabaus. On 12 April 1884 Frank Swettenham, the British Resident of Selangor pleaded for the re-appointment of Batu Tapak as the headman of the aborigines living in that area, and hence the name ''Setapak'', in honour of the headman.

Geographical definition

The Selangor part of the mukim (commune/subdistrict) of Setapak is situated north-east of Kuala Lumpur in the constituency of Gombak, and has an area of . The northern limit of Setapak is Gunung Bunga Buah; its north-eastern limit is Genting Sempah on the

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 ...

border; to the east is Bukit Dinding and to the south-east is the

Rifle range A shooting range, firing range, gun range or shooting ground is a specialized facility, sports venue, venue, or playing field, field designed specifically for firearm usage qualifications, training, practice, or shooting sport, competitions. ...

. The state constituency of Gombak Setia roughly corresponds to the boundaries of the mukim of Setapak; before 1974 it also includes what is today the parliamentary constituencies of Wangsa Maju and Setiawangsa. The Gombak River with its source in Gunung Bunga Buah, is the main river flowing through the mukim. Setapak consists of Gombak town, Kampung Padang Balang, Kampung Baru Air Panas and a number of other villages. Today, what is regarded as 'Setapak' consists of the township of Wangsa Maju, as well as the first few kilometres of Jalan Pahang and some surrounding areas. The Titiwangsa Recreational Park is located just south of Setapak.

Loke Yew Loke Yew Order of St Michael and St George, CMG (; 1845–1917), born Wong Loke Yew, was a Malayan business magnate of Cantonese people, Cantonese descent. During his lifetime, he played a significant role in the development of Kuala Lumpur a ...

Hill is a place of major historical interest in this town. Named after the Chinese philanthropist, this hill contains ruins of a fortress surrounding the dilapidated villa which belonged to the Loke family. It is also the burial ground for the Loke family. YosriPintuZooNegara

In 1961 the Zoological society was formed, and the National Zoo of Malaysia (Zoo Negara) in Setapak was officially opened by the Prime Minister on 16 November 1963. The Zoo is situated about 13 kilometers from Kuala Lumpur, onroute to Ulu Klang and situated on a semi-virgin jungle with a reserve of for further development.

Member of Parliament/ State Assembly

Education

* Tunku Abdul Rahman University of Management and Technology (TAR UMT) * Institute CECE * VTAR Institute * Al Diwan International Centre for Teaching Arabic (at Taman Melati Utama) * Setapak High School * Mun Yee Primary School * Chong Hwa Primary School * Chiao Nan Primary School * Sekolah Sri Utama

Public transportation

The Kelana Jaya Line has five LRT stations in the Setapak region - Gombak LRT station, Taman Melati LRT station, Wangsa Maju LRT station, Sri Rampai LRT station and the Setiawangsa LRT station. In the future, the whole area will be served by an elevated station on the

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 ...

under the name of Setapak MRT station. Kumpool, which is a

Vanpool Vanpools or vanpooling is an element of the transit system that allow groups of people to share the ride similar to a carpool, but on a larger scale with concurrent savings in fuel and vehicle operating costs and thus usually a lower cost to the ...

ride-sharing service to Wangsa Maju LRT Station also available here.

Governmental Institutions

* Puspakom Kuala Lumpur * JPJ Wilayah Persekutuan *

Department of Immigration (Malaysia) Department may refer to: * Departmentalization, division of a larger organization into parts with specific responsibility Government and military * Department (administrative division), a geographical and administrative division within a country, ...

Wangsa Maju Branch

Attractions

* The P. Ramlee Memorial is located at Taman P. Ramlee (formerly Taman Forlong) * Royal Selangor Pewter factory * The Ayer Panas Hot Springs is located in Ayer Panas, Setapak * Masjid Zaid bin Haritsah, Kampung Sungai Mulia - Beautiful roadside mosque * Padang Balang Minangkabau Traditional Village * Surau Tinggi Kampung Bandar Dalam - Old traditional Malay mosque * Choo Sian Temple (聚仙廟) - elaborate and beautiful Chinese temple * Setapak Central (formerly KL Festival City)

Incidents

Setapak has been categorised as a hotspot for drug activities in Kuala Lumpur. The Malaysian authorities have caught several drug abusers in the suburb. A lecturer from Palestine was shot dead in Setapak in front of Idaman Puteri Condominium on 21 April 2018 at 6am. The attack was widely condemned by Malaysians.

References

External links

Rapid KL Bus Routes