Brunei - The Rough Guide to Southeast Asia on a Budget - page 55

1

tours are around B$35-40 and take an
hour or so. To get the most out of it,
it's best to pay a bit more and go with
Danny (see p.60), as he's good at spotting
wildlife and will also be able to tell you
the history of the city - something that's
beyond the reach of many boatmen with
their limited English.

galleries varying in quality. he
undoubted highlight is the Islamic Art
Gallery - a collection of artefacts from
the sultan's personal collection - where,
among the riches on display, are
beautifully illuminated antique copies of
the Koran from around the world, tiny
Korans whose script can be read only
with a magnifying glass, ninth-century
Arabic calligraphy from Iran, astronomy
equipment from the eighth century and
quirkier items such as a wooden boot
with an inlaid mother-of-pearl compass.
Also interesting is the Malay Culture
Gallery , whose dioramas allow glimpses
of social traditions, such as the
sweetening of a newborn baby's mouth
with honey or dates, and the disposal of
its placenta in a bayung , a palm-leaf
basket which is either hung on a tree or
floated downriver.
he wing devoted to the oil industry
gives no clue as to Brunei's exit strategy
when the oil runs out.

Royal Regalia Museum
he centrally located Royal Regalia
Museum (Sun-hurs 9am-5pm, Fri
9-11.30am & 2.30-5pm, Sat 9.45am-
5pm; free) is dedicated almost entirely to
the Sultan of Brunei and is the most
entertaining museum in Bandar. A series
of captioned photos of the sultan traces
his path from jug-eared child to absolute
monarch via a stint at the Sandhurst
Military Academy, painting a rather
flattering portrait of his life. Standout
exhibits include the sultan's enormous,
gold-winged Royal Chariot in the main
hall; and a golden throne, crown, keris
(ceremonial dagger) and gold hand, used
to support the sultan's chin during the
coronation, behind glass on the first floor.
Other first-floor galleries are filled with
exotic objects given to the sultan as gifts
by foreign heads of state; spot the bronze
falcon from Ukraine, Nazca lines pins
from Peru and framed calligraphy
resembling a boat.

The Jame 'Asr Hassanil Bolkiah
Mosque
It's an ongoing debate whether the
Jame 'Asr Hassanil Bolkiah (State) Mosque
(also known as the Kiarong Mosque;
Mon-Wed & Sat 8am-noon, 2-3pm &
5-6pm; Fri 5-6pm; Sun 10.30am-noon,
2-3pm & 5-6pm; closed hurs), set in
harmonious gardens near the commercial
suburb of Gadong, has a distinct edge
over the Omar Ali Saifuddien Mosque, at
least in sheer size. With its sea-blue roof,
29 golden domes representing Brunei's
29 sultans, and slender minarets, this is

The Brunei Museum
he Brunei Museum (Sat-hurs
9am-5pm, Fri 9-11.30am & 2.30-5pm;
free), about 5km east of Sungai Kianggeh
on Jln Kota Batu (bus #39), has several

THE SULTAN OF BRUNEI
Brunei's twenty-ninth sultan, Hassanal Bolkiah , is reported to be one of the world's richest
monarchs, worth a cool US$22 billion. His list of assets includes: the 1788-room Istana Nurul
Iman (see opposite); family homes in London, LA, New York and Paris; two Boeings; five aircraft
hangars to house his five thousand cars; and climate-controlled stables for his two hundred
polo ponies. His yearly expenditure lists US$2.52m on badminton lessons, US$2.5m on
masseuses and acupuncturists and nearly US$100,000 on guards for his exotic-bird cages.
This information all became public after he accused his younger brother, Prince Jefri, of
siphoning off US$16bn during his thirteen years as finance minister. A court battle ensued and
after fifteen years it ruled in the sultan's favour. Jefri was dealt a crushing blow and ordered to
hand over two hotels, three houses, diamonds, cherished paintings and cash. But when your
older brother is the Prime Minister, Defence Minister, Supreme Commander of the Armed
Forces, Supreme Head of Islam and Chief of Police, as well as sultan, who was he to argue?