Kuala Lumpur: Large crowds began queueing up for special passes two hours before officials from Petronas, the national oil corporation, started ushering visitors to the bridge that links the 1,483-foot (452-meter) landmarks, nearly halfway up on the 41st floor.

There, tourists from as far as the United States but also from nearby Myanmar gripped metal railings and pressed their faces against glass walls, pointing at mosques, hotels and condominiums far below.

Prime Minister Mahathir officially inaugurated the buildings on August 17 last year, but only employees of companies renting space in the 88-story skyscrapers had access.

When the towers were completed in March 1996, they surpassed Chicago's Sears Tower, which at 1,450 feet (442 meters) had been the world's tallest building since 1973.

Mahathir justified the $1 billion project, stating that it gave pride to a small nation like Malaysia: "It is important because small people always like to appear tall."

Note: The rest of the Twin Towers remains off-limits to the public. Every day except Mondays, 800 free tickets are given away. Visitors must inquire at Menara 2 (Menara is Malay for tower) at 9:15 a.m. for a morning or afternoon ticket to the skybridge.