Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
ketry, musical instruments and a Bidayuh door charm for keeping evil spirits at bay; in-
formation on native customs such as tattooing and the infamous
palang
penis piercing;
and longhouses, including a full-size Iban longhouse and scale models for other groups.
Downstairs is an old-fashioned natural-history museum whose highlight - remembered
with horror by generations of Kuching children - is a hairball taken from the stomach of a
man-eating crocodile, accompanied by the following explanation: 'human dental plate
found attached to the hairball'. And if this isn't enough to put you off taking a dip in a
muddy estuary, the 'watch found inside stomach' (the croc's stomach, of course) surely
will - unless you'd like your smartphone to feature in a future exhibit!
Museum Garden
( 9am-4.45pm Mon-Fri, 10am-4pm Sat, Sun & holidays)
The landscaped Museum
Garden stretches south from the Ethnology Museum, leading past flowers and fountains to
a white-and-gold column called the
Heroes' Monument
.
The cast-iron, open-air pavilion behind the museum houses the
Akuarium
Offline map
Google map
(Aquarium; 9am-6pm)
, run by the city, on a shoestring budget, for educa-
tional purposes. It houses fish tanks (it's nice to see local fish that aren't laid out on ice,
ready to be grilled, fried or baked) as well as turtles.
GARDENS
Art Museum
( 9am-4.45pm Mon-Fri, 10am-4pm Sat, Sun & holidays)
Down the driveway from the
Ethnology Museum, the Art Museum (Muzium Seni) features sculpture and paintings in-
spired by Dayak motifs and traditions and by Borneo's flora, fauna and landscapes. May
be closed at lunchtime.
MUSEUM
Dewan Tun Abdul Razak
( 9am-4.45pm Mon-Fri, 10am-4pm Sat, Sun & holidays)
Linked to the Ethnology Mu-
seum by a footbridge decorated with Orang Ulu motifs, Dewan Tun Abdul Razak (the
New Building) has fine permanent exhibits on Sarawak's fascinating history, from the
Brunei sultanate through to the Brooke era; prehistoric archaeology, including important
finds from the Niah Caves; Chinese ceramics; and colourful Dayak crafts and costumes.
MUSEUM
