Kuala Lumpur, asalin karamar ƙauye, an kafa shi ne a tsakiyar ƙarni na 19, sakamakon bunƙasa masana'antar hakar gwangwani.Yankin ya jawo hankalin masu hakar ma'adinai na kasar Sin, wadanda suka kafa ma'adinai a kusa da kogin Selangor, da Sumatrans wadanda suka kafa kansu a yankin Ulu Klang.Garin dai ya fara yin kaurin suna a kewayen dandalin Tsohuwar Kasuwa, inda hanyoyi suka kai har zuwa wuraren hakar ma'adinai daban-daban.Kafa Kuala Lumpur a matsayin wani muhimmin gari ya zo ne a shekara ta 1857 lokacin da Raja Abdullah bin Raja Jaafar da dan uwansa, tare da taimakon kudade daga 'yan kasuwan kasar Sin na Malacca, suka dauki ma'aikatan hakar ma'adinai na kasar Sin aikin bude sabbin ma'adinai.Wadannan ma'adanai sun zama tushen rayuwar garin, wanda ya zama wurin tattarawa da tarwatsawa ga kwano.A farkon shekarunta, Kuala Lumpur ta fuskanci ƙalubale da yawa.Gine-ginen katako da na 'atap' (tsatsiyar dabino) sun kasance masu iya kamuwa da wuta, kuma garin ya yi fama da cututtuka da ambaliyar ruwa saboda yanayin da yake ciki.Haka kuma, garin ya shiga cikin yakin basasa na Selangor, inda bangarori daban-daban ke fafutukar ganin sun mallaki ma'adinan daloli.Manyan mutane kamar Yap Ah Loy, Kapitan na Kuala Lumpur na uku na kasar Sin, sun taka muhimmiyar rawa a cikin wadannan lokutan tashin hankali.Jagorancin Yap da haɗin gwiwarsa da jami'an Birtaniya, ciki har da Frank Swettenham, sun ba da gudummawa ga farfadowa da ci gaban garin.Tasirin mulkin mallaka na Birtaniyya ya yi tasiri wajen tsara yanayin zamani na Kuala Lumpur.Karkashin mazaunin Burtaniya Frank Swettenham, garin ya sami ci gaba sosai.An ba da umarnin yin gine-gine da bulo da tayal don jure gobara, an faɗaɗa titina, da inganta tsafta.Kafa layin dogo tsakanin Kuala Lumpur da Klang a shekarar 1886 ya kara habaka ci gaban garin, inda yawan jama'a ya karu daga 4,500 a 1884 zuwa 20,000 zuwa 1890. A shekarar 1896, shaharar Kuala Lumpur ya girma har aka zabe ta a matsayin babban birnin kasar. sabbin jahohin tarayyar Malay da aka kafa.