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Saturday August 6, 2005

KL's Arab Square almost ready

By BAVANI M

WORK on building Ain Al Arabia or Arab Square Jalan Berangan in Bukit Bintang is progressing smoothly, with 90% of the job completed.

The site in the heart of the Golden Triangle has already taken on a Middle Eastern look with its Arabic architecture and design.

The Ain Al Arabia project is 90% complete.
The most striking feature of the project – a water feature depicting a giant teapot – is almost ready.

A City Hall spokesman said the project was expected to be completed by the end of this month.

StarMetro visited the area recently and found the whole park had been landscaped with palm trees.

Carpet grass now covers the once shoddy-looking playground which used to be overgrown with shrubs and DBKL has retained the old banyan trees.

“The main entrance gateway, which also features Arabic designs, is 70% ready while all paving and landscaping work has been completed,” said the spokesman.

The open-air stage, to which residents had initially objected, is 80% complete.

The main attraction is the water feature in the shape of a giant teapot.
When City Hall announced plans to turn the place into a tourist attraction catering to Middle Eastern visitors, many thought that it was a bad idea.

Residents feared there would be traffic congestion and noise pollution once the place was up and running.

However, the majority of the residents and the business community there have since realised that Arab Square would raise the market value of the properties surrounding it and that alone was cause for cheer.

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