Istana Negara, Jalan Istana

This article is about Malaysian national palace. For similar-named palace in Indonesia, see Istana Negara, Jakarta.

Istana Negara (Royal Palace) now Muzium DiRaja (Royal Museum)
Istana Negara
The Istana Negara in Kuala Lumpur
General information
Type	Official Palace of His Majesty The Yang di-Pertuan Agong (1957–2011) Royal Museum (2013 – present)
Architectural style	Western architecture
Town or city	Kuala Lumpur Federal Territory
Country	Malaysia
Groundbreaking	1928
Construction started	1928
Completed	1928
Inaugurated	1957
Renovated	1980

Palace gates

The Istana Negara (Malay for National Palace; Jawi: ايستان نڬارا) along Jalan Istana was the former residence of the Yang di-Pertuan Agong (Supreme King) of Malaysia. It stands on a 13 acre (50,000 m²) site, located on a commanding position on the slope of a hill of Bukit Petaling overlooking the Klang River, along Jalan Syed Putra.

It was replaced by the new palace as the official residence of the King in 2011. In 2013, it was converted into the Royal Museum.

History

The palace was originally a double-storey mansion called The Big House built in 1928 by a local Chinese millionaire, Chan Wing. During the Japanese occupation from 1942 to 1945, it was used as the residence of the Japanese Governor. After the surrender of the Japanese on 15 August 1945, the British Military Administration (BMA) commandeered it for a senior military officers mess from the rank of brigadier. With the formation of the Federation of Malaya in 1950, the Selangor State Government rented the residence from the owners for Straits Dollars 5,000 a month until Merdeka or Independence in 1957. It was renovated to become the palace of His Majesty the Sultan of Selangor. In 1957, the owners sold the property of 13 acres to the Federal Government at an agreed valuation of Straits Dollars 1.4 Million.The Federal Government then converted the residence into the Istana Negara for the newly created sovereign post of Yang di-Pertuan Agong (King) of Malaya which was about to achieve independence that August as scheduled. Since then it has undergone several renovations and extensions. But the most extensive upgrading was carried out in 1980, as it was the first time that the installation ceremony of the Yang di-Pertuan Agong was held at the Istana Negara. Prior to this the Installation Ceremonies were held at the Tunku Abdul Rahman Hall in Jalan Ampang, Kuala Lumpur^[1] with the first one held in 1957.

After the Istana Negara moved to the new palace at Jalan Duta in December 2011, it was later used for a royal exhibition called Raja Kita, in conjunction with the installation of Tuanku Abdul Halim Mu'adzam Shah as the 14th Yang di-Pertuan Agong in 2012. The exhibition started on 15 April 2012 and is later extended on 8 December 2012. Over 314,757 visitors, both local and foreign visited the exhibition between 15 April and 7 December.^[2]

It was decided that starting in 2013, two guards in Malay traditional attire would be stationed at the main gateway of the old Istana Negara to revive the nostalgia and tradition of the Malay Sultanate. Information, Communications and Culture Minister Rais Yatim said the practice will help retain the old palace as a must-visit tourist destination.^[2] Several rooms and halls at the old Istana Negara will be open to visitors to learn of their use to the previous thirteen Kings who lived in the palace. An inventory will be drawn up of the collections in the palace in the effort to conserve them. Rais Yatim requested the Royal Malaysia Police and the Department of Museums to collaborate in managing the collections.^[2]

Palace areas and use

Malaysian coat of arms as part of the Royal Insignia on the fence of the palace.

Compound

The building is nestled within an 11.34-hectare compound with a variety of plants and flowers, swimming pool and indoor badminton hall. As the palace grounds are not opened to members of the public or tourists, the Main Palace Entrance is a favourite picture spot for tourists.

The whole area is fenced up and the Royal Insignia of His Majesty is placed on each steel bar between two pillars of the fence. At the front of the Istana Negara, there is the main entrance which resembles an arch. On each side of the arch, are two guard posts to shelter two members of the cavalry in their full dress uniform similar to the ones at Buckingham Palace, London. From 2013 onwards, the full dress uniform will be in Malay traditional attire as it was during the Malay Sultanate era.

In the grounds of the palace is a guard house for the members of the Royal Malay Regiment, one of the two Household Division units in the Malaysian Armed Forces (the other one is the Malaysian Royal Armoured Corps Mounted Ceremonial Squadron). There is also a six hole golf course, tennis courts and a lake in the far end of the grounds.

The driveway, lined with cypresses and casuarinas, leads to two entrances – an entrance to the West Wing and the other to the East Wing.

East Wing

The Balai Rong Seri or throne room is located in the East Wing and was used only for official and customary functions. These include ceremonial occasions of taking the royal pledge, the installation rite, and the appointment of a new prime minister and the federal government which included investiture ceremonies and the taking of oaths by the government ministers and state governors. This is also where the presentation and acceptance of foreign diplomatic appointments are held. It sometimes serves as a banquet hall.

The second hall on the first floor is the Dewan Mengadap where the King receives honoured guests such as Head of States and foreign dignitaries. This hall doubles as a resting place of Sultans and Governors during the Conference of Rulers. The other rooms are Bilik Duta, Bilik Permaisuri and Bilik Menteri. Bilik Duta is where the King grants audience to the Prime Minister and also where honoured guests are received. The Queen receives her guests at the Bilik Permaisuri while the Bilik Menteri is the rest room for guests.

West Wing

The Conference of Rulers is held at the Bilik Mesyuarat Raja-Raja situated in the West Wing.

Gallery

The main gate is popular with tourists as a photo opportunity.
Mounted royal guard at the main gate.
Royal guard in a traditional samping.
Changing of the Guard ceremony at 12'o clock noon.

New Istana Negara

Main article: Istana Negara, Jalan Duta

The new RM 997 million Istana Negara complex is located near Jalan Duta, Kuala Lumpur. The court moved to new palace in December 2011.

The construction was commenced in mid-2007 and completed in 2011 at a total cost of RM997 million. Works Minister Shaziman Abu Mansor said the palace is now "Kuala Lumpur's most amazing architectural achievement, surpassing even the Twin Towers".

References

Notes

↑ "National Palace". Perpustakaan Negara Malaysia. 2003. Retrieved 12 June 2009.
1 2 3 "Malay Sultanate guards to man old Istana gateway". Bernama via mysinchew.com. 8 December 2012. Retrieved 10 December 2012.

Bibliography

bin Haji Taha, Adi (2004). Pameran Raja Kita. Kuala Lumpur: Department of Museums and Antiquities, Malaysia. ISBN 967-9935-17-5.

External links

Listen to this article (info/dl)

This audio file was created from a revision of the "Istana Negara, Jalan Istana" article dated 2010-11-27, and does not reflect subsequent edits to the article. (Audio help)

More spoken articles

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Former Istana Negara, Kuala Lumpur.

Museums of Malaysia

West Malaysia

Arts	Baba Nyonya Heritage Museum Batik Painting Museum Penang Cheng Ho Cultural Museum Islamic Arts Museum Kite Museum Macau Gallery Malacca Malacca Art Gallery Malacca Islamic Museum Malacca Literature Museum Malacca Stamp Museum National Textile Museum National Visual Arts Gallery Penang Islamic Museum Penang Museum and Art Gallery Petronas Gallery Straits Chinese Jewellery Museum Sultan Alam Shah Museum Wei-Ling Gallery

Historic house	Governor's Museum Istana Ampang Tinggi Istana Negara Istana Seri Menanti Kota Ngah Ibrahim Malaysia Architecture Museum Malaysia Youth Museum Perak State Museum People's Museum Proclamation of Independence Memorial Stadthuys Sun Yat-sen Museum Penang Tun Ghafar Baba Museum

History	Beauty Museum Chitty Museum Education Museum Gallery of Admiral Cheng Ho Malacca Al-Quran Museum Malacca Sultanate Palace Museum Malacca Transportation Museum Malay and Islamic World Museum Maybank Numismatic Museum National History Museum National Museum Orang Asli Museum Pulau Besar Museum Royal Malaysian Police Museum Time Tunnel

Maritime	Maritime Museum Flor de la Mar Royal Malaysian Customs Department Museum Royal Malaysian Navy Museum Submarine Museum

Science	Al-Khawarizmi Astronomy Complex Malacca Planetarium National Science Centre Planetarium Negara

Other	Democratic Government Museum Malacca UMNO Museum Museum of Custom and Tradition Toy Museum

East Malaysia

Arts	Kuching Cat Museum Sabah Museum

Historic house	Fort Sylvia Sarawak State Museum The Astana

Maritime	Labuan Maritime Museum

Science	Planetarium Sultan Iskandar

Coordinates: 3°07′57″N 101°41′45″E / 3.132487°N 101.695703°E / 3.132487; 101.695703

This article is issued from Wikipedia - version of the Thursday, May 05, 2016. The text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution/Share Alike but additional terms may apply for the media files.