The Istana Darussalam (

English English usually refers to: * English language * English people English may also refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * ''English'', an adjective for something of, from, or related to England ** English national ...

: ''Darussalam Palace'') is the former residence of Omar Ali Saifuddien III and birthplace of

Sultan of Brunei The sultan of Brunei is the monarchical head of state of Brunei and head of government in his capacity as prime minister of Brunei. Since independence from the British in 1984, only one sultan has reigned, though the royal institution dates ...

Hassanal Bolkiah Hassanal Bolkiah ibni Omar Ali Saifuddien III ( Jawi: ; born 15 July 1946) is the 29th and current Sultan and Yang di-Pertuan of Brunei since 1967 and the Prime Minister of Brunei since independence from the United Kingdom in 1984. He is on ...

. The palace is located at Jalan Darussalam, Sumbiling Lama,

Brunei-Muara District Brunei-Muara District ( ms, Daerah Brunei dan Muara; Jawi: برونائی-موارا ضلع) or simply Brunei-Muara is one of the four districts of Brunei. It has the smallest area among the four districts, with , yet is the most populous, w ...

Brunei Brunei ( , ), formally Brunei Darussalam ( ms, Negara Brunei Darussalam, Jawi: , ), is a country located on the north coast of the island of Borneo in Southeast Asia. Apart from its South China Sea coast, it is completely surrounded by th ...

. The building has become a

tourist attraction A tourist attraction is a place of interest that tourists visit, typically for its inherent or an exhibited natural or cultural value, historical significance, natural or built beauty, offering leisure and amusement. Types Places of natural ...

and currently under the protection of the Antiquities and Treasure Trove Act of the Museums Department.

Design and construction

Istana Darussalam is located on the

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of the

Kedayan River Kedayan River () is a tributary of the Brunei River which flows through the capital of Brunei, Bandar Seri Begawan. History On 22 October 2017, the Taman Mahkota Jubli Emas public park An urban park or metropolitan park, also known as a ...

, is an illustration of the finest indigenous Malay structure of the time. It was first constructed from

wood Wood is a porous and fibrous structural tissue found in the stems and roots of trees and other woody plants. It is an organic materiala natural composite of cellulose fibers that are strong in tension and embedded in a matrix of lignin ...

in 1947, and later,

concrete Concrete is a composite material composed of fine and coarse aggregate bonded together with a fluid cement (cement paste) that hardens (cures) over time. Concrete is the second-most-used substance in the world after water, and is the most wid ...

was used to replace certain wooden

pillars A column or pillar in architecture and structural engineering is a structural element that transmits, through compression, the weight of the structure above to other structural elements below. In other words, a column is a compression member. ...

and beams. The structure is green and brown and has a distinctive Malay home architecture. The royal structure still stands in stunning contrast to the neighborhood's collection of village homes. It covers an estimated area of and costed approximately B$7,000.

History

The palace began construction in the 1940s. Several national festivities have taken place at this palace, including notably when

Sultan Sultan (; ar, سلطان ', ) is a position with several historical meanings. Originally, it was an Arabic abstract noun meaning "strength", "authority", "rulership", derived from the verbal noun ', meaning "authority" or "power". Later, it c ...

was born there on 15 July 1946. In 1947, the lower part of the building was used as a private office by then Sultan Omar Ali. The

Royal family A royal family is the immediate family of kings/queens, emirs/emiras, sultans/ sultanas, or raja/ rani and sometimes their extended family. The term imperial family appropriately describes the family of an emperor or empress, and the term pa ...

no longer uses the building, although every Friday, representatives of the

Omar Ali Saifuddien Mosque Omar Ali Saifuddien Mosque ( ms, Masjid Omar Ali Saifuddien, Jawi: مسجد عمر علي سيف الدين) is a mosque in Bandar Seri Begawan, the capital of Brunei. It is one of the country's two or national mosques (the other Jame' Asr H ...

hold the

tahlil The Tahlil ( ar, تَهْلِيل, ', ), also spelled Tahleel, is a form of dhikr that involves the praising of God in Islam by saying (), meaning "There is none worthy of worship except Allah". Etymology The word ''Tahlil'' is the verbal noun ...

ritual there. When the Royal family relocated from Istana Darussalam to Istana Darul Hana in 1951, Omar Ali's guests were temporarily housed there while he attended

Malay College The Malay College Kuala Kangsar (abbreviated MCKK; ; ) is a premier residential school in Malaysia. It is an elite all-boys and all- Malay school in the royal town of Kuala Kangsar, Perak. It is sometimes dubbed "the Eton College of the East" ...

Malaysia Malaysia ( ; ) is a country in Southeast Asia. The federal constitutional monarchy consists of thirteen states and three federal territories, separated by the South China Sea into two regions: Peninsular Malaysia and Borneo's East Mal ...

. On 7 September 1986, Omar Ali died at the palace and later buried at

Kubah Makam Di Raja The Royal Brunei Mausoleum ( ms, Kubah Makam Diraja Brunei) is a Royal Mausoleum of Brunei located at Jalan Tutong, Bandar Seri Begawan, Brunei. The Mausoleum is the main resting place and burial ground for several Sultans of Brunei and membe ...

. The

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of the Ministry of Development currently maintains the palace, including several others with significant historical and cultural value.

References

External links

{{commons category, Istana Darussalam
Government of Brunei
Residential buildings completed in 1947 Darussalam Darussalam Official residences in Brunei Buildings and structures in Bandar Seri Begawan Historic sites in Brunei