A quick Merdeka refresher

Malaysia's independence day, or Merdeka, is inextricably linked to Tunku Abdul Rahman, the first prime minister and 'Father of Independence' who is better known as the Tunku.

Among the events leading up to the British withdrawal from Malaya is this 1946 rally at Kelab Sultan Sulaiman in Kuala Lumpur to protest against the Malayan Union, a grand colonial project to unite Malay states under a single administration and usurp the power of the sultans.

Kelab Sultan Sulaiman, as it stands today in Kampung Baru, Kuala Lumpur, now an abandoned building despite its historical significance.

In 1955, Malaya held its first general election in which the Tunku-led Perikatan came to power on the promise of securing independence. The party, which later evolved into Barisan Nasional, remained in power for the next six decades.

Arriving from London, the Tunku was received at Batu Berendam Airport in Melaka in February 1956 after negotiating Malaya's independence. On the left is Ghafar Baba, who would become deputy prime minister under Dr Mahathir Mohamad some three decades later.

Later, the Tunku announced to a large crowd in Melaka that Malaya would gain independence on August 31, 1957.

The large crowd that greeted the Tunku's procession in Melaka.

The 1951 Nash Rambler Custom Convertible, the same car used by the Tunku on his arrival from London, is on display at the Tunku Abdul Rahman Putra Memorial in Kuala Lumpur.

On August 31, 1957, the Declaration of Independence was proclaimed at Stadium Merdeka, the country's first stadium, which had been completed just a few days earlier.

The famous image shows the Tunku leading the crowd in seven chants of 'Merdeka', marking the birth of the newly independent nation.

Once the largest stadium in Southeast Asia, but now dwarfed by much larger stadiums, Stadium Merdeka is a historic landmark in the heart of Kuala Lumpur, having survived a controversial plan to demolish it for a development project.

A worker marks a row at Stadium Merdeka, which has been restored to its former glory following a major refurbishment.

A visitor looks at a selection of images relating to the country's independence on a display board at Stadium Merdeka.

The Moorish-style Sultan Abdul Samad Building in front of Dataran Merdeka in Kuala Lumpur once housed the offices of the British colonial government, but is today the venue of annual Merdeka parades celebrating its departure.

The 41 metre high clock tower of the Sultan Abdul Samad Building chimed for the first time in 1897 to mark Queen Victoria's Jubilee Parade that year.

Built in 1966, Tugu Negara, or National Monument, is said to have been the Tunku's idea after being inspired by the almost identical Marine Corps War Memorial in the US. The bronze sculpture stands amid leafy surrounding just a few minutes away from the Sultan Abdul Samad Building.