Museums In Brunei: Travel Guide To The Royal Regalia Museum [And Others]

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Museums In Brunei

As a small country, Brunei doesn’t have a wide range of museums with modern art or quirky themes, but there are three interesting museums that every single traveler should check out - the Royal Regalia Museum, Malay Technology Museum and the Brunei Museum. If you are a “museum person” with more time, also consider visiting the other museums mentioned in this guide. All the museums mentioned provide free admission!

In this travel guide, we’ll explore Brunei’s best and most popular museums.

In addition to the three museums mentioned above, we’ll cover Brunei Darussalam Maritime Museum, Kampong Ayer Cultural & Tourism Gallery, Belait Museum and the Oil & Gas Discovery Centre.

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Table of Contents

• Royal Regalia Museum

• Malay Technology Museum

• The Brunei Museum

• Maritime Museum

• Kampong Ayer Cultural & Tourism Gallery

• Museums In Belait District

• Conclusion

• Best Way To Find A Hotel In Brunei

• About The Author (Taz Zaidi)

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Royal Regalia Museum

The Royal Regalia Museum

The word “regalia” refers to awards and garments of royalty. Thereby, Royal Regalia Museum houses gifts given to Sultan Hassanal Bolkiah by foreign leaders and heads of state. It’s fascinating to see the creativity used in the creation and delivery of the gifts. As you enter the museum, you’re greeted by a grand, gilded chariot. It’s debatable what is more impressive - its bright gleam or its fine detail. The chariot was first crafted for the 1992 Silver Jubilee ceremony and still used by the royal family during national celebrations. When not in use, it’s parked here as the museum’s centerpiece for the public to enjoy. Adjacent to the chariot is the original chariot used in Sultan Bolkiah’s coronation in 1968.

This gilded chariot is the centerpiece of the grand hall

The museum’s permanent exhibit documents Sultan Bolkiah’s life since childhood, Queen Saleha and her contributions, plus other information about the royal family. The exhibit aims to “humanize” the Sultan by showing a behind-the-scenes side of him. By the time you leave, you’ll understand why he and Queen Saleha are beloved by Bruneians throughout the country.

The Royal Regalia Museum sits right in the city center and is easy to find because of its large white and silver dome. Like Brunei’s magnificent national mosques, the Royal Regalia Museum’s interior features imported marble. This building was originally built by Sultan Saifuddien (Bolkiah’s father and predecessor) and was named “Churchill Memorial Building”. Saifuddien greatly respect former UK Prime Minister, Winston Churchill. Photos are not allowed inside the exhibits.

Colorful shields and weaponry in front of the chariot

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Malay Technology Museum

The Malay Technology Museum is in Kota Batu

The Malay Technology Museum does an impressive job of re-creating traditional Bruneian culture. It displays what day-to-day life (such as customs, art and lifestyle) was like for centuries, with life-sized model huts and people. You’ll observe how the handicrafts, textiles and boats were made, and what life was/is like in the world’s largest water village, Kampong Ayer.

There’s also a section showing how sago was extracted and produced. Sago is the main ingredient of Brunei’s famous national dish, Ambuyat. By the time you leave, you'll gain an appreciation for Brunei’s rich fishing history. The museum houses an intact lintau (shown below), which is an ingenious fishing trap effective at funneling fish to a point of no return.

Lintau (traditional fishing contraption used for centuries)

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The Brunei Museum

The Brunei Museum (officially “Muzium Brunei” in Malay) is the country’s primary history/ethnological museum. Queen Elizabeth II joined the Sultan for the museum’s grand opening ceremony in February 1972, a dozen years before Brunei gained its independence.

The Brunei Museum covers a wide range of topics - from the archaeological sites in Kota Batu, to the history of Brunei’s indigenous peoples, to displays of international and domestic Islamic art pieces. History enthusiasts will find it as the best place to learn about the Brunei Empire’s long, complicated history. The Empire existed from 1368 to 1888 and experienced many phases - from expanding all the way to Manila, to battling with Spain in the Castilian War, to losing its autonomy in the struggle against Britain.

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Maritime Museum

Brunei Darussalam Maritime Museum focuses on Brunei’s long history as a trading powerhouse. Ideally situated near the mouth of the Brunei Bay, with easy access to the South China Sea, Brunei has been a thriving trade center since at least the 14th century. Records show Brunei was a trading partner with civilizations as far as China and the Southeast Asia mainland during that era. The main exhibit also highlights a shipwreck found 50 kilometers off the coast of Brunei. This ship was transporting thousands of artifacts, some dating back as long as 500 years.

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Kampong Ayer Cultural & Tourism Gallery

All Brunei visitors should experience Kampong Ayer.

While there, make sure to drop by its museum! The museum is small enough to walk through in half an hour or less, but it provides great context about the water village - past and present. You’ll appreciate the scope of Kampong Ayer’s influence over the years and see just how much it modernized. Firsthand accounts of the stilt city from awe-inspired Europeans earned Kampong Ayer the nickname of “Venice of the East”. Early cartography on display here is also an eye-opener.

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Museums In Belait District

If you have time to visit the Belait District, you’ll find that daily life in Brunei’s west side can be different than in the capital city of Bandar Seri Begawan. The Belait Museum focuses more on the history and culture that is specific to western Brunei. The district gets its name from the local Belait River, the historic Belait language and the Belait people who’ve long inhabited the area.

If interested in learning about the oil and gas industry, which has transformed Brunei’s economy over the past century, be sure to visit Oil and Gas Discovery Centre in Seria. It focuses on science, technology and history of the oil industry as it relates to the Seria Field.

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Conclusion

Hopefully you found this guide helpful.

As a country that isn’t very well-known to most people, Brunei’s museums provide great context about culture and history of the Bruneian people. Best of all, most of the museums are conveniently located within Bandar Seri Begawan, Brunei’s capital. To learn more about Brunei, explore our other guides below.

Enjoy your travels!

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Popular Attractions In Brunei:

• 7 Marvelous Mosques To Visit In Brunei

• Gadong Night Market (Best place to eat in Brunei)

• Istana Nurul Iman (World’s largest residential palace)

• The Empire Brunei Hotel (7-star luxury hotel open to the public)

• Ulu Temburong National Park (The “Green Jewel of Brunei”)

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Visit the Royal Regalia Museum during this 5-star customer rated tour, organized by Viator and run by locals!

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Best Way To Find A Hotel In Brunei

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