The traditional houses of the Malays and other Indigenous groups are environmentally friendly; made of natural materials timber, bamboo and weavings and raised on stilts for protection and ventilation. Wood carvings may adorn walls and edges. Roofs are large and sloped in various styles.

Not many traditional timber palaces are left in Malaysia, but those that stand are exquisite one-of-a-kind buildings that reflect the ingenuity of Malay building crafts, and deserve to be preserved and visited. Some have been turned into Royal Museums as the Sultans and their families live in new palaces of mixed European or modern design.

These unique traditional community dwellings are found in Sabah and Sarawak. Lonhouses are home to interior riverine tribes, with rows of multi-family spaces fronted by a communal corridor. Fascinating water villages built on stilts directly on the river or sea are dotted around the Borneo coasts.

An amazing variety of old and new mosques in an array of different architectural styles from traditional Malay to Arabic-Persian or North Indian and even ultra-modem design can be found in every nook and corner of this predominantly Muslim nation.

Chinese temples are found in many parts of Malaysia and are inspired largely by the architecture of Southern China. The oldest existing Chinese temple in Southeast Asia, Cheng Hoon Teng dating from 1646, is found in Malacca.

As most of Malaysia’s Hindu adherents are from southern India, likewise local Hindu temples are influenced by colourful south Indian architecture. The Sikhs, although a small minority, also have their temples of more staid design in many parts of the country.

Many old churches of heritage status can be found in Malacca, Penang and Kuala Lumpur, with newer churches in other parts the country. The colonial period churches are naturally of European, especially British and some Dutch influenced designs.

Colonial architecture is reflected in old buildings of the various European colonialists from 1511 to 1957. Only a few Portuguese examples remain, with the ruins of A’ Famosa fort in Malacca being the oldest colonial structure in Southeast Asia.

Merdeka means Independence, and the old pre-war or pre-Merdeka shophouse designs had a certain stylistic identity or heritage character that still stands out even when the façade was worn and the building dilapidated. The traditional kaki lima or ‘five-foot way’ remains a practical invention used even today in modern shophouses.

While old is gold: sometimes new structures, by sheer force of achievement or world record become new heritage treasures. One such example is the Petronas Twin Towers, becoming the world’s tallest buildings when they were completed in 1997, plus having the world’s tallest sky bridge linking two structures.