Public’s wish to visit palace granted with opening of Royal Museum

Kingly: The King’s office where official business was conducted.

Take a peek into the inner sanctum of the royal family on Feb 1 when the Royal Museum, located at the old Istana Negara, Kuala Lumpur opens its doors to the public for the first time. Located in Jalan Istana, the museum will be open daily from 9am to 5pm.

Department of Museums director-general Datuk Ibrahim Ismail expressed excitement about the opening. “The best part about the palace is its overall uniqueness as each room is different. We have also retained all the original fittings,” Ibrahim said. He said many people, both foreign and local, had expressed interest in visiting the historical building.

“Visitors at the Raja Kita (Our King) exhibition, held at the Balairong Seri Utama (Throne Room) of the old palace, expressed their hopes of visiting the palace and now they can,” he said, adding that visitors have the option of taking a guided tour or explore the palace on their own.

“For now, we will provide simple information boards but in future, we hope to be able to provide more details. In fact, we are in the midst of seeking out retired palace officials whom we hope can provide guided tours and interesting anecdotes to visitors,” he said. There will also be outdoor performances such as silat, cultural performances and brass bands to liven up the museum. The schedule for this will be announced later.

Royal bedchamber: The room where the King and Queen slept has four different kinds of lighting to emulate the four seasons, this one being spring.

Beginning this year, guards dressed in the olden Malay Sultanate era uniforms have been stationed at the gates of the old palace, becoming a new attraction where the popular cavalry guard used to stand.

Ibrahim also said most parts of the palace would be opened to the public but that in certain area, they would merely get to look into the room from the doorway.

The palace was built in 1928 and was originally the residence of a Chinese millionaire called Chan Wing from 1942 to 1945, during the Japanese Occupation, when the building was used as the Japanese officers’ mess.

It was later bought by the Selangor government to be used as a palace for the Selangor Sultan before it was acquired by the Federal Government in 1957 to become the official residence of the Yang di-Pertuan Agong and Raja Permaisuri Agong until November last year. The palace has undergone renovations several times, including in 1980 to build the Throne Room extension that was used for the first time during the installation of the seventh king.

Warm shades: The Queen’s office, decorated in brown and pink, was where she received her guests.

Among the rooms that visitors will get to see is the Minister’s Room where guests accompanying heads of states and dignitaries and not part of the audience with the King wait, the Royal Clinic, the small Throne Room that is used by the King for small ceremonies and functions, the royal bedchamber and more.

Ibrahim said for now, visitors would only get to visit the main palace building while the rest of the palace grounds may be opened in the future. He also said they have yet to decide on entrance fees or dress code for visitors.

Rusli Asri, who has worked at the palace for 32 years, said the guided tours would highlight the importance of the King and the palace to the younger generation. He added that by transforming the King’s former residence into a museum, locals and visitors can now get a glimpse into how the royal family lived and learn more about their history.

-thestar online.