Kuala Lumpur, Wilayah Persekutuan Kuala Lumpur
Menara Kuala Lumpur, known as KL Tower, is a 421 metre telecommunication tower on Bukit Nanas in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad broke ground on 1 October 1991, a topping-out ceremony on 13 September 1994 fixed its final height, and it opened to the public on 23 July 1996, followed by formal inauguration that October. Architect Ir Achmad Moerdijat of Kumpulan Senireka Sdn Bhd designed it and Hazama Corporation built it; it was briefly Malaysia's tallest structure until the Petronas Twin Towers overtook it in 1999, and it remains the world's seventh-tallest telecommunication tower. Builders rerouted its footing at a cost of RM430,000 to spare a century-old jelutong tree still standing beside it. Its operating concession has changed hands twice recently, from Telekom Malaysia's Menara Kuala Lumpur Sdn Bhd to Hydroshoppe Sdn Bhd in October 2022, then to LSH Capital's LSH Service Master Sdn Bhd under a 20-year lease from April 2025, a handover contested in Malaysia's High Court through late 2025.
1 October 1991
Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad presided over the official groundbreaking on Bukit Nanas. Construction proceeded in three phases under main contractor Hazama Corporation, with phase one completed 1 August 1992 and phase two completed 1 April 1993; because the limestone hill ruled out conventional piling, the foundation was laid with roughly 50,000 cubic metres of concrete poured continuously over 31 hours, a Malaysian construction record at the time.
13 September 1994
Mahathir performed the topping-out ceremony, installing the antenna mast and fixing the tower's final height at 421 metres. On completion it briefly became Malaysia's tallest structure.
23 July 1996
Menara Kuala Lumpur opened to the public after the interior facilities and amenities were fitted out.
1 October 1996
The tower was officially inaugurated by Mahathir at 8.30pm, with the Yang di-Pertuan Agong Tuanku Jaafar ibni Almarhum Tuanku Abdul Rahman among the guests of honour.
1999
The Petronas Twin Towers surpassed Menara Kuala Lumpur as Malaysia's tallest structure, three years after the tower's public opening; KL Tower has remained the world's seventh-tallest telecommunication tower, behind Tokyo Skytree, Canton Tower, CN Tower, Ostankino Tower, Oriental Pearl Tower and Milad Tower.
2012-2015
The tower underwent a multi-year renovation programme, recorded as running from 1 January 2012 to 31 December 2015.
November-December 2021
To mark the tower's 25th, Silver Jubilee anniversary of its 1996 opening, the harnessed Tower Walk 100 exterior circuit opened to visitors on 27 November 2021 and was officially launched on 14 December 2021 by the Minister of Tourism, Arts and Culture.
31 October 2022
The operating concession, previously held via Telekom Malaysia subsidiary Menara Kuala Lumpur Sdn Bhd, was transferred to Hydroshoppe Sdn Bhd for RM3.9 million, a deal the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission opened a probe into. The tower's longtime revolving-restaurant operator, Asian Kitchen Sdn Bhd (trading as Atmosphere 360), was served an eviction notice that November and vacated by June 2023.
1 April 2025
A new 20-year concession, running to 31 March 2045, began under LSH Service Master Sdn Bhd, a unit of LSH Capital (Lim Seong Hai Capital Bhd), displacing Hydroshoppe and Menara Kuala Lumpur Sdn Bhd. The ousted operators sued the government for RM20.13 million and sought reinstatement of the concession, a dispute still before the courts.
24 September 2025
The Kuala Lumpur High Court struck out a related lawsuit brought by former restaurant operator Asian Kitchen against the Communications Minister, the government, Hydroshoppe and Menara Kuala Lumpur Sdn Bhd, ruling it lacked locus standi against the government and minister and duplicated a separate commercial-division suit; the revolving restaurant now trades as Orbit under MKL Cuisine Sdn Bhd.
The saved jelutong tree
When laying the tower's base, builders built a retaining wall around a 100-year-old jelutong tree (Dyera costulata) standing near the pedestrian mall and shifted the structure to avoid it, at a reported cost of RM430,000. The tree still stands at the foot of the tower.
Muqarnas glass domes in the lobby
The upper ground floor lobby is fitted with glass-clad domes arranged in the geometric muqarnas form, designed and built by Iranian craftsmen from Isfahan rather than a Malaysian or European decorative scheme.
The 31-hour concrete pour
Bukit Nanas' limestone geology made conventional piling unsuitable, so engineers poured roughly 50,000 cubic metres of concrete for the foundation in a single continuous 31-hour operation, setting a Malaysian construction record.
Islamic falak (moon-sighting) observatory
Beyond broadcasting, the tower doubles as an Islamic falak observatory used to sight the crescent moon that marks the start of Ramadan, Syawal (Hari Raya Aidilfitri) and Zulhijjah (Hari Raya Aidiladha).
Broadcasting role
The tower was originally planned solely for television transmission; radio antennas were added during construction. It now carries RTM's FM stations (87.7 to 97.2 MHz) alongside free-to-air TV1 and TV2 on VHF and NTV7 on UHF.
The revolving restaurant, then and now
The head-house revolving restaurant traded for over two decades as Atmosphere 360 under operator Asian Kitchen (M) Sdn Bhd until a 2022-2023 concession dispute forced its exit; it now operates as Orbit under MKL Cuisine Sdn Bhd.
Menara Kuala Lumpur broke ground on 1 October 1991, and its antenna mast was fixed in place at a topping-out ceremony on 13 September 1994, setting its final height of 421 metres. It opened to the public on 23 July 1996 and was formally inaugurated by Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad on 1 October 1996.
The tower was designed by architect Ir Achmad Moerdijat of local firm Kumpulan Senireka Sdn Bhd, with Hazama Corporation as the main contractor. It was built for the Malaysian government, then operated for over two decades through a Telekom Malaysia subsidiary.
Bukit Nanas, meaning Pineapple Hill in Malay, is a forest reserve at the centre of Kuala Lumpur that gave the tower height and prominence without requiring a taller structure. The reserve's limestone geology also meant the foundation was laid with a single continuous concrete pour rather than driven piles.
Yes. Builders constructed a retaining wall around a 100-year-old jelutong tree (Dyera costulata) near the pedestrian mall and rerouted the tower's footing to avoid harming it, at a cost reported as RM430,000. The tree still stands at the base of the tower today.
At 421 metres, Menara Kuala Lumpur is the world's seventh-tallest telecommunication tower, behind Tokyo Skytree, Canton Tower, the CN Tower, Ostankino Tower, Oriental Pearl Tower and Milad Tower. It briefly held the title of Malaysia's tallest structure before the Petronas Twin Towers surpassed it in 1999.
Atmosphere 360 was operated for over two decades by Asian Kitchen (M) Sdn Bhd until a management concession dispute led to an eviction notice in November 2022 and the operator vacating by June 2023. A related lawsuit by Asian Kitchen against the government and other parties was struck out by the High Court on 24 September 2025, and the venue now trades as Orbit under MKL Cuisine Sdn Bhd.
Since 1 April 2025, KL Tower has been run under a 20-year concession, to 31 March 2045, held by LSH Service Master Sdn Bhd, a unit of LSH Capital. The handover from the previous operators, Hydroshoppe Sdn Bhd and Menara Kuala Lumpur Sdn Bhd, has been contested in court, with the displaced parties seeking RM20.13 million in damages and reinstatement of the concession.
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