Fun Facts You Didn’t Know About Kuala Lumpur’s Petronas Towers

Photo by Ishan @seefromthesky on Unsplash

Petronas Towers are the tallest buildings in Kuala Lumpur and one of its most imposing landmarks. You’ll appreciate this hovering structure even more after learning a couple of amazing facts most people aren’t aware of.

Record Breaker

Petronas Towers were the tallest buildings in the world from 1998 to 2004 and the first tallest building since 1908 outside of the United States, but their record was eventually broken by Taipei 101.

Islamic Influence

Despite their highly modern design, Petronas Towers still resonate with Malaysian culture and pay homage to Islamic art. When viewed from the top, the cross-section of the towers resembles the Rub el Hizb symbol.

Behind the Name

Kuala Lumpur’s tallest building owes its name to Petronas Group, a Malaysian oil and gas company, which occupies the entire first tower of this wonder of modern architecture. Tower two is leased to other companies, such as Microsoft, Huawei, and Reuters.

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Making Headlines

When famous skydiver Felix Baumgartner set out to break the record for BASE jumping in 1999, he used Petronas Towers as a setting for this difficult task. Urban climber Alain “Spiderman” Robert also made headlines in 2009, when he scaled to the top of the second tower, using only his bare hands and feet.