Istana Negara

The palace when the Royal Family was still around

The **Istana Negara** (Malay for *National Palace*) is the official residence of the Yang di-Pertuan Agong, the monarch of Malaysia. It is located along Jalan Tuanku Abdul Halim (formerly Jalan Duta) in Segambut, northwestern Kuala Lumpur. The palace opened in 2011 and replaced the old Istana Negara which was located at a different compound in central Kuala Lumpur. The palace complex has an area of 97.65 hectares, 22 domes, and is split into three main portions: the Formal Component, Royal Component and Administration Component. This palace was built due to space constraints in the old palace. However without the Royal Family and its followers to live and maintain the palace, how long can it withstand against Mother Nature?

**1 day after people:** The palace is now empty and quiet, with no more visitors standing outside the palace gates or any movement or chatting inside of the building. The flags of all 13 Malaysian states, the 3 federal territories and the royal emblem all still wave outside against the wind. As the palace complex approaches the night, the power grid fails, and the entire palace that glows yellow and white during the night now is pitched black.

**1 year after people:** Animals have smashed through the gates and break into the palace, and assert their power by making the entire complex their new home. They create a big mess in the Multi-Purpose Hall in search of food and knock over chairs and tables in the process. A thunderstorm a few months earlier also broke some of the windows in the palace, allowing birds to visit and drop seeds, which plant the seeds of destruction for the palace.

**5 years after people:** Without any gardeners left, the garden grows out of control and turn into a mini forest. The iconic yellow pain of the 22 domes are beginning to chip away and corrode.

**15 years after people:** More window panels begin to loosen or break, allowing moisture from Malaysia's high humidity to seep in and weaken supports. The interior meeting rooms materials begin to decay. Projectors, televisions, security cameras and computers are deteriorating quickly as some of the flags outside blow away from heavy winds. The forest that was once the garden now reaches Istana Negara's lobby as vines and plants breach the fences enclosing Istana Negara from the rest of Kuala Lumpur. The bedrooms also start to decay while plants grow inside the Multi-Purpose Hall.

**50 years after people:** The entire complex is now covered by a layer of jungle as the underground car park has been completely flooded after decades of constant rain. The Surau located inside of the palace is now unrecognizable as plants completely cover the private helipad. The swimming pool has become a safe haven for mosquitos to lay their eggs, making the water infested and unsafe. The roof of the Balairong Seri, or the main throne room, has reached its breaking point and collapses, bringing down 2 domes with it and destroying the seats that the Royal Family used to sit in. The King's Office has now transformed into the new office for animals like ants, mice, rats and other wildlife as the structural intergrity of the palace weakens further due to constant corrosion from the extensive Malaysian heat.

**100 years after people:** Istana Negara has changed a lot in a century after people. Every other structure except for the main palace has fallen while plants and vines conquer the weakened roof. All windows have been destroyed and the Palace entrance has been reduced to just the archway where the gates once stood before animals destroyed it. Some sections of the upper floor cave in and cause some collapses, but not severe enough to bring the entire palace down. The palace still withstands all the elements, though it is going to meet its impending doomsday soon.

**200 years after people:** Istana Negara is on its last knees. Only the main lobby still stands defiant with the corroded steel domes standing over the jungle of what was once Kuala Lumpur. Eventually the main dome collapses and crashes into the palace and other supports fail, which brings the entire lobby down with it. The official residence of the Yang di-Pertuan Agong is no more.