Abstract

The cultural heritage of Malaysia was, to the greatest extent, determined by its natural environment, that is, its position in the equatorial zone of the Earth with extensive rain forests. Other natural resources, first large deposits of tin, and from the middle of the 20th century oil, internationalized the area of Malaysia. Along with the local population, the Malays, the history and cultural traditions of Malaysia were created by Chinese and Indian culture, and then European (via Portugal and the Netherlands to Great Britain). The origin and development of the two most important cities in Malaysia, George Town (Penang) and Kuala Lumpur best illuminate the history of Malaysia. The opening of the sea port of Malacca (1402) also marked the arrival of Islam in the territory of Malaysia, which, until today, will be an important fact in profiling its development and cultural heritage. Even while he was under strong impressions from his travels, the Author made written works about them, titling them "My Travels in Malaysia". Just trying to write down what was seen and experienced showed the complexity of the effort to present a space, its people and architecture. The author did not want the 'review of his travels' to have a subjective note, but rather to be an objective record, with all the elements of a scientific text. This required hard 'desk work' using the appropriate scientific literature and various works that were available on the Internet.