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 3 interesting museums every traveler should visit - the Royal Regalia Museum, Malay Technology Museum and Brunei Museum. If you are a “museum person” with more time, also consider visiting the other museums I’ll mention in this guide. All the museums mentioned offer free admission!

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

In addition to the 3 museums mentioned above, we’ll also 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 employed in the creation and delivery of the gifts.

As you enter the museum, you’re greeted by a grand, gilded chariot with bright gleam and fine detail. The chariot was first crafted for the 1992 Silver Jubilee ceremony and is 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.

Chariot as the grand hall’s centerpiece

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.

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

Colorful shields, weaponry and chariot

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Malay Technology Museum

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 (customs, art, 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 in 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 (centuries-old fishing contraption)

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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 in February 1972, twelve 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.

*Viator.com offers incredible, quality Brunei tours. For the top-rated tour of the Royal Regalia (which includes other major attractions), click here.

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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 that Brunei was a trading partner with civilizations as far as China and mainland Southeast Asia 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 far as 500 years.

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Kampong Ayer Cultural & Tourism Gallery

Every Brunei visitor must see 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 how much it has modernized. Firsthand accounts of the stilt city from awe-inspired Europeans earned Kampong Ayer the nickname of “Venice of the East”. The early cartography on display is impressive.

*Viator.com offers incredible, quality Brunei tours. For the top-rated tour of the Royal Regalia (which includes other major attractions), click here.

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Museums In Belait District

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

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

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Conclusion

Hopefully you found this guide helpful.

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

Agoda.com is well-known in Brunei (and Southeast Asia) for providing amazing deals on a wide range of accommodation options. You’ll find luxury or budget hotels, resorts, villas, hostels, apartments, guesthouses, bed and breakfasts, and unique/alternative types). Use the widget below or click here to search in Brunei.

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