Brunei - The Rough Guide to Southeast Asia on a Budget - page 53

BRUNEI BANDAR SERI BEGAWAN
OPENING HOURS AND HOLIDAYS
Government o ces in Brunei open
Monday to hursday and Saturday
7.45am to 12.15pm and 1.30pm to
4.30pm; shopping centres open daily
10am to 9pm. Banking hours are Monday
to Friday 9am to 4pm and Saturday 9am
to 11.00am. Post o ces are open
Monday to hursday and Saturday 8am
to 4.30pm, and 8am to 11am and 2pm
to 4pm on Fridays.
Most of Brunei's public holidays are
based on the Islamic calendar and change
annually according to the lunar calendar,
so check with the tourist o ce. During
Ramadan , Muslims spend the ninth
month of the Islamic calendar fasting
in the daytime; during this time it is
culturally sensitive for tourists not to
eat or smoke blatantly in public during
daylight hours.

1

Bandar Seri
Begawan
he capital of Brunei is BANDAR SERI
BEGAWAN , also known as BSB or simply
Bandar. here is a striking contrast here
between the modern buildings and wide,
quiet streets of downtown and the lively,
colourful, traditional stilt houses across
the river in Kampong Ayer, the world's
largest water village and home to nearly a
quarter of the sultanate's population. he
city's main sights can easily be covered in
a couple of days. However, central BSB's
peace at night and sense of space provide
a welcome contrast to the chaos of most
Southeast Asian cities.
As recently as the middle of the
nineteenth century, BSB was little more
than a sleepy water village, but with the
discovery of oil came its evolution into
the modern, hugely congested waterfront
city of today.

PUBLIC HOLIDAYS
Jan 1 New Year's Day
3 Jan 2015; 12 Dec 2016 Maulidur Rasul (Prophet
Mohammad's birthday)
19 Feb 2015; 8 Feb 2016 Chinese New Year
Feb 23 Brunei National Day
16 May 2015; 5 May 2016 Israk Mikraj (Ascension of
the Prophet)
May 31 Royal Brunei Armed Forces' Day
18 June 2015; 6 June 2016 First day of Ramadan
4 July 2015; 22 June 2016 Nuzulul Qu'ran (Revelation
of the Koran day)
July 15 Sultan's Birthday
17 July 2015; 5 July 2016 Hari Raya Aidil Fitri (End
of Ramadan)
4 Oct 2014; 23 Sept 2015; 13 Sept 2016 Hari Raya
Aidil Adha (Festival of Sacrifice)
25 Oct 2014; 14 Oct 2015; 2 Oct 2016 Hijrah (Islamic
New Year)
Dec 25 Christmas Day

WHAT TO SEE AND DO
Downtown Bandar is hemmed in by
water. To the east is Sungai Kianggeh;
to the south, the wide Sungai Brunei;
and to the west, Sungai Kedayan, which
runs up to the Edinburgh Bridge. he
Omar Ali Saifuddien Mosque is Bandar's
most obvious point of reference. Central
BSB is a fairly small place and easily
navigable on foot.

The Omar Ali Saifuddien Mosque
At the very heart of the city is the white,
golden-domed Omar Ali Saifuddien
Mosque (non-Muslim visitors: Sat-Wed
8.30am-noon, 1.30-3pm & 4.30-
5.30pm, Fri 4.30-5.30pm). Built in
classical Islamic style, it was
commissioned by and named after the
father of the present sultan, and
completed in 1958. he floors and walls
of the sumptuous interior are made of
fine Italian marble; the UK is responsible
for the stained-glass windows and
chandeliers, while Saudi Arabia has
provided the finest carpets. Topping the
cream-coloured building is a golden
dome, adorned inside with a mosaic

FESTIVALS
Brunei National Day The sultan and 35,000 other
Bruneians watch parades and fireworks at the Sultan
Hassanal Bolkiah National Stadium, just outside Bandar.
Brunei Royal Armed Forces' Day Bandar's square
hosts parades and displays.
Sultan's Birthday A fortnight of parades, lantern
processions, traditional sports competitions and fireworks.
Hari Raya Aidil Fitri The sultan declares his home, the
Istana Nurul Iman, open to the public for three days. All
visitors meet the man himself and receive gifts.