Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
of their time just standing around. A square, glass-enclosed
viewing tower
offers panor-
amic views of the scene below.
Getting across the river from the city centre (ie the area next to and east of the Yayasan
Complex) or the eastern bank of Sungai Kianggeh is a breeze. Just stand somewhere a wa-
ter taxi - BSB's souped-up version of the gondola - can dock and flag an empty one
down.
To visit the villages on the river's
north bank
(the same side as the city centre), follow
the plankwalks that head southwest from Omar Ali Saifuddien Mosque, or those leading
west (parallel to the river) from the Yayasan Complex, itself built on the site of a one-time
water village.
Omar Ali Saifuddien Mosque
(Jln Stoney; interior 8.30am-noon, 1.30-3pm & 4.30-5.30pm Sat-Wed, 4.30-5pm Fri,
closed Thu, exterior compound 8am-8.30pm daily except prayer times)
Built from 1954 to
1958, Masjid Omar Ali Saifuddien - named after the 28th sultan of Brunei (the late father
of the current sultan) - is surrounded by an artificial lagoon that serves as a reflecting
pool. The mosque is basically the happening centre of city life in Bandar come evenings;
folks come for prayer, then leave to eat or shop, which is sort of Brunei in a nutshell. The
44m minaret makes it the tallest building in central BSB, and woe betide anyone who tries
to outdo it - apparently the nearby Islamic Bank of Brunei building originally exceeded
this height and so had its top storey removed by order of the sultan.
This being Brunei, the interior is pretty lavish. The floor and walls are made from the
finest Italian marble, the stained-glass windows and chandeliers were crafted in England,
and the luxurious carpets were flown in from Saudi Arabia and Belgium. Jigsaw enthusi-
asts can admire the 3.5-million-piece Venetian mosaic inside the main dome.
The ceremonial stone boat sitting in the lagoon is a replica of a 16th-century
mahligai
(royal barge).
MOSQUE
MUSEUM
Royal Regalia Museum
(Jln Sultan; 9am-5pm Sun-Thu, 9-11.30am & 2.30-5pm Fri, 9.45am-5pm Sat, last
entry 4.30pm)
When called upon to present a gift to the sultan of Brunei, you must inevit-
ably confront the question: what do you give a man who has everything? Here you'll see
how various heads of state and royalty have solved this conundrum (hint: you'll never go
