JAKARTA, KOMPAS.com - Brunei Darussalam has been famous as a country rich in oil. Very few people are aware of tourism in Brunei Darussalam and have plans to visit there.
The country is located on the north coast of Borneo, its location is close to Malaysia thus making it a strategic place for vacations.
Most of Brunei's tours are centered around the capital City of Bandar Seri Begawan. For those of you who want to go to Brunei, the overseas tourist site LonelyPlanet summarizes 5 popular tourist attractions in Brunei Darusallam:1. Omar Ali Saifuddien Mosque
Completed in 1958, the Omar Ali Saifuddien Mosque was named after the 28th Sultan of Brunei.
The mosque is surrounded by an artificial lagoon that serves as a reflection pool. The mosque is famous for its quite luxurious interior, the floors and walls are made of the finest Italian marble, the chandeliers are made in the UK and luxurious carpets are flown in from Saudi Arabia.
A 3.5 million-piece glass mosaic covering the real gold leaf covers the main dome.
The mosque's 52m-high minaret makes it the tallest building in downtown Brunei. The ceremonial stone boat sitting in the lagoon is a replica of the 16th-century mahligai where a quran reading competition was held.
Brunei's natives would come to pray, then stroll along the waterfront, around illuminated fountains and baobab trees, or walk along the footbridge across the Kedayan River.
LONELYPLANET Museum Royal Regalia2. Museum Royal Regalia
When asked to give a gift to the sultan of Brunei, you inevitably face the question: what are you going to give to a man who has everything?
In this museum you can see how several heads of state have solved this puzzle. Because this museum contains gifts given by the heads of state to the sultan of Brunei.
Here you can see the silver model of Angkor Wat (Cambodia), the silver pin in the shape of Nazca (Peru) and the model of the Great Mosque of Mecca made of precious metals and stones (Saudi Arabia).
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Family photos and explanatory texts offer a good picture of the sultan's life. He will be portrayed in various periods from childhood, entering the army at Sandhurst to lavish marriages and sporty adult life.
Here is also exhibited the train used during the procession of the 25th wedding celebration of the sultan's year in 1992 and the second train used for the coronation of 1968.
Dock. Brunei Tourism Maritime Museum brunei3. Brunei Darussalam Maritime Museum
The impressive skeleton of the ship, lined up with gorgeous ceramic containers welcomes you when you step into the main hall of this place.
The Brunei Darussalam Maritime Museum is a tourist attraction located in Batu City, five kilometers east of the city center. This museum is unique in its shape that resembles a sparkling ship.
Also read: A Guide to Traveling around Bandar Seri Begawan City, Brunei
You can find 13,261 artifacts unearthed from the country's most important shipwrecks. The ship was discovered by divers in 1997. The ship is believed to have sailed from China in the late 15th or early 16th century before being hit by stormy weather as it approached Brunei.
The items on display in this shipwreck gallery are well presented. You can see the gorgeous ceramics from the Ming Dynasty in China, and porcelain from Vietnam and Thailand, which will have been brought to Brunei in exchange for local products.
LONELYPLANET Kampong Ayer4. Kampong Ayer
Founded about 1000 years ago, the village is considered the largest stage settlement in the world. When the Venetian scholar Antonio Pigafetta visited Kampong Ayer in 1521, he nicknamed it the 'Venice of the East'.
Wooden houses, painted in shades of sun green, blue, pink and yellow. In some places, new, sturdier homes look better prepared to survive the monsoon storms that have caused the village's thinner wooden houses to collapse.
Water villages used to be traditional industrial centers, such as silversmithing, goldmaking, fine fabric weaving and boat building.
Also read: A Mini Travel Guide to Brunei
Boat building is still something you can easily see but to find a weaver, you have to look inside the center of the village.
Today, Kampong Ayer is home to 30,000 Bruneians. Kampung Ayer consists of 42 adjacent stilt villages built along the banks of the Brunei River.
A century ago, half of Brunei's Malay population lived here and even now many Bruneians still choose to live in water villages instead of living on dry land.
The village has its own school, mosque, police station, and fire department. To cross the river, you have to hire a water taxi service at a cost of around Rp10,000 rupiah (1$ Brunei).
LONELYPLANET Nurul Iman Palace 5. Nurul Iman Palace
The palace, which became the residence of the Sultan, was named the largest palace of residence in the world. Its size is predicted to be four times larger than the size of the Palace of Versailles.
It has 1,788 rooms, air-conditioned stables for Sultan horses, and 257 bathrooms complete with gilded door handles
The palace was designed by Filipino architect Leandro Locsin, it combines Malay elements (domed roof) and Islamic design (golden arches and domes) with an area of 200,000 square meters.
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The wooden ceiling is tortuous over the covered sidewalk, and the glass ceiling feature of the huge banquet hall is the work of Khuan Chew, who is in charge of the Burj Al Arab in Dubai.
The palace is not open to the public except during Eid al-Fitr celebrations, where the palace receives about 110,000 visitors over a three-day period.
The guests who come will receive food as gifts and green envelopes containing money for young children. Not only that, you can also meet Sutlan Brunei in person at that special moment.
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