Construction began on 8 February 1960 and finished on 21 July 1962, in time to host the following month's Asian Games. Its construction was partially funded through a special loan from the Soviet Union. The stadium's original capacity of 110,000 people was reduced to 88,306 as a result of renovations for the 2007 AFC Asian Cup. The stadium is well-known for its ring-shaped facade, the "temu gelang", which was designed to shade spectators from the sun, and increase the grandeur of the stadium.