Kampung Baru, 100-year old Malay village in the heart of KL

Free Malaysia Today

A fourth-generation resident of the town, Fuad Fahmy is dedicated to putting Kampung Baru on the tourism map.   Story by: Theevya Ragu  Shot by: Fauzi Yunus  Presented by: Theevya Ragu  Edited by: Muhammad Akif Irfan   Read More: https://www.freemalaysiatoday.com/category/nation/2025/03/31/one-mans-dream-to-put-kampung-baru-on-the-tourist-map/   Free Malaysia Today is an independent, bi-lingual news portal with a focus on Malaysian current affairs.    Subscribe to our channel - http://bit.ly/2Qo08ry   ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------  Check us out at https://www.freemalaysiatoday.com  Follow FMT on Facebook: https://bit.ly/49JJoo5  Follow FMT on Dailymotion: https://bit.ly/2WGITHM  Follow FMT on X: https://bit.ly/48zARSW  Follow FMT on Instagram: https://bit.ly/48Cq76h  Follow FMT on TikTok : https://bit.ly/3uKuQFp  Follow FMT Berita on TikTok: https://bit.ly/48vpnQG  Follow FMT Telegram - https://bit.ly/42VyzMX  Follow FMT LinkedIn - https://bit.ly/42YytEb  Follow FMT Lifestyle on Instagram: https://bit.ly/42WrsUj  Follow FMT on WhatsApp: https://bit.ly/49GMbxW  ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------  Download FMT News App:  Google Play – http://bit.ly/2YSuV46  App Store – https://apple.co/2HNH7gZ  Huawei AppGallery - https://bit.ly/2D2OpNP   #FMTLifestyle #FMTBeraya #KampungBaru #MalayVillage

Transcript

00:00At first glance, this may look like a typical kampung during Hari Raya until the twin towers

00:14appear in the background.

00:15Welcome to Kampung Baru, one of the last Malay villages in the heart of Kuala Lumpur.

00:26Although it may translate to new village, Kampung Baru is anything but new, dating back

00:32over a hundred years.

00:34Recently, FMT Lifestyle chatted with Fuad Fahmi, a fourth-generation resident of Kampung

00:39Baru, to uncover its story.

00:42My great-grandpa, Haji Sulaiman Besar Budin, he was the first imam at Masjid Kampung Baru.

00:55He hails from Medan, Sumatera, from what was shared by my late Atok.

01:03He was a religious officer with the Delhi Sultanate, that was in Medan.

01:08He was one of the prosperous sultanate at that time, and when KL was booming, of course

01:14they need people to build the city, so hence he was tasked by the authority, by the sultanate,

01:21to come here and to be the first imam.

01:24And that was in 1907, and after 20 years serving the community, we were given, I mean he was

01:32given this piece of land, and we've been staying here since 1927, so two years' time will be

01:40100 years.

01:43But Fuad is no ordinary Kampung man, he's on a mission to turn his humble village into

01:49a thriving tourist destination.

01:53After furthering his studies in tourism, he spent years leading Malaysians on tours around

01:58the world, until one day, an idea he had changed everything.

02:04So you know whenever I lead groups overseas, we call it tour leader, I have the chance

02:09I visit Tourism Malaysia office.

02:12There was little or no mention about Kampung Baru, despite us being 700 metres from the

02:18tower.

02:20So after many years of working, I got tired of a lot of things, my hair all white.

02:26So in 2016, finally I told myself, why don't I do a tour here in Kampung Baru, right?

02:34For almost 10 years, Fuad has been leading walking tours called Magical Kampung Baru,

02:39welcoming visitors from around the world to experience the beauty of traditional Kampung

02:44life.

02:46But what exactly makes Kampung Baru so special?

02:50For one, it's traditional Malay architecture.

02:53The wooden stilt houses or rumah panggung are built without nails.

02:58Many of these houses, painted in vibrant colours, are still occupied by the same families who

03:03have lived there for generations.

03:07Food is another cornerstone of Kampung Baru's charm.

03:11From Buka Puasa, a century-old bubur lambuk recipe draws massive crowds outside the mosque,

03:17where this rice porridge is generously handed out for free.

03:22This dish is so popular that several versions are now sold outside the mosque.

03:28Haji Zambri Abdul Karim, who served at the mosque for 22 years, decided to carry on the

03:33tradition of making this hearty porridge using the original recipe, while also making a living

03:40after retirement.

03:43Cooking up to 10 pots a day, each taking around 2 hours, Haji shared that mosques across Malaysia

03:50have invited him to cook the dish as nothing quite matches the Kampung Baru version.

04:01Another hidden gem is a quaint little shop that sells kuih raya all year round.

04:06Here you'll find 65-year-old Machit Rosna Abu Sama, a third-generation kuih maker, who

04:12learnt the craft from her elders.

04:15It's so old-school, they never bothered with a business name and only accept cash.

04:20When tourists come, they see a different KL.

04:25The vibe, the environment, the smell, the spirit, the soul is different, right?

04:33Kuad pointed out that the locals here are incredibly friendly and welcoming to visitors.

04:39Sometimes if we walk, the owner will say, hey, bawak ni, bawak, guest kau ni makan jemudak.

04:47She will take the knife, cut in front of you, we just eat by tepi jalan.

04:52Made up of seven villages, Kampung Baru was officially gazetted as a Malay agricultural

04:57settlement in 1950.

04:59However, it hasn't escaped urbanisation, with parts of it being demolished to make way for high-rises.

05:06My only hope is that the younger generation, they will have a sense of belonging in Kampung Baru.

05:17Because we don't find other places like this anymore.

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