The Royal Museum ( Malay: ''Muzium Diraja'') along Jalan Istana was the former National Palace (Malay: ''Istana Negara'') and former residence of the

Yang di-Pertuan Agong The Yang di-Pertuan Agong (, Jawi: ), also known as the Supreme Head of the Federation, the Paramount Ruler or simply as the Agong, and unofficially as the King of Malaysia, is the constitutional monarch and head of state of Malaysia. The of ...

(Supreme King) of

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 Malay ...

. 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 The Klang River ( ms, Sungai Klang) is a river which flows through Kuala Lumpur and Selangor in Malaysia and eventually flows into the Straits of Malacca. It is approximately in length and drains a basin of about . The Klang River has 11 major t ...

, along Jalan Syed Putra. It was replaced by the new national palace as the official residence of the king in 2011. In 2013, it was converted into The Royal Museum and referred as Old Istana Negara.

History

The palace was originally a double-storey mansion called ''The Big House'' built in 1928 by a local

Chinese Chinese can refer to: * Something related to China * Chinese people, people of Chinese nationality, citizenship, and/or ethnicity **''Zhonghua minzu'', the supra-ethnic concept of the Chinese nation ** List of ethnic groups in China, people of v ...

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 The Federation of Malaya ( ms, Persekutuan Tanah Melayu; Jawi: ) was a federation of what previously had been British Malaya comprising eleven states (nine Malay states and two of the British Straits Settlements, Penang and Malacca)''See'': ...

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 Sultan of Selangor (سلطان سلاڠور) is the title of the constitutional ruler of Selangor, Malaysia who is the head of state and head of the Islamic religion in Selangor. The current monarch, Sultan Sharafuddin Idris Shah ascended the ...

. 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

(King) of Malaya which was about to achieve

independence Independence is a condition of a person, nation, country, or state in which residents and population, or some portion thereof, exercise self-government, and usually sovereignty, over its territory. The opposite of independence is the st ...

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

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 , anthem = ''Maju dan Sejahtera'' , image_map = , map_caption = , pushpin_map = Malaysia#Southeast Asia#Asia , pushpin_map_caption = , coordinates = , sub ...

with the first one held in 1957. After the Istana Negara was moved to the new palace on 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 was later extended to 8 December 2012. Over 314,757 visitors, both local and foreign visited the exhibition between 15 April and 7 December. 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. 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 this old royal 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 The Royal Malaysia Police (often abbreviated RMP) ( ms, Polis Diraja Malaysia (PDRM)), is a (primarily) uniformed national and federal police force in Malaysia. The force is a centralised organisation. Its headquarters are located at Bukit Ama ...

and the Department of Museums to collaborate in managing the collections.

Palace areas and use

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 Buckingham Palace () is a London royal residence and the administrative headquarters of the monarch of the United Kingdom. Located in the City of Westminster, the palace is often at the centre of state occasions and royal hospitality. It h ...

, 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 The Royal Malay Regiment ( ms, Rejimen Askar Melayu DiRaja; Jawi: ) is the premier unit of the Malaysian Army's two infantry regiments. At its largest, the Malay Regiment comprised 27 battalions. At present, three battalions are parachute trai ...

, one of the two

Household Division Household Division is a term used principally in the Commonwealth of Nations to describe a country's most elite or historically senior military units, or those military units that provide ceremonial or protective functions associated directly with ...

units in the

Malaysian Armed Forces The Malaysian Armed Forces (: MAF; ms, Angkatan Tentera Malaysia; Jawi: ), are the armed forces of Malaysia, consists of three branches; the Malaysian Army, Royal Malaysian Navy and the Royal Malaysian Air Force. The number of MAF active per ...

(the other one is the

Malaysian Royal Armoured Corps The Royal Armoured Corps or ''Kor Armor Diraja'' (KAD) is the armoured forces of the Malaysian Army. The Royal Malaysian Armoured Corps have had its beginning with two army units formed by the British Administration headed by General Sir Gera ...

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

casuarina ''Casuarina'' is a genus of 17 tree species in the family Casuarinaceae, native to Australia, the Indian subcontinent, southeast Asia, islands of the western Pacific Ocean, and eastern Africa. It was once treated as the sole genus in the fam ...

s, 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 A throne room or throne hall is the room, often rather a hall, in the official residence of the crown, either a palace or a fortified castle, where the throne of a senior figure (usually a monarch) is set up with elaborate pomp—usually raised, ...

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 A prime minister, premier or chief of cabinet is the head of the cabinet and the leader of the ministers in the executive branch of government, often in a parliamentary or semi-presidential system. Under those systems, a prime minister is ...

and the

federal government A federation (also known as a federal state) is a political entity characterized by a union of partially self-governing provinces, states, or other regions under a central federal government (federalism). In a federation, the self-govern ...

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

Meetings of the

Conference of Rulers The Conference of Rulers (also Council of Rulers or Durbar, ms, Majlis Raja-Raja; Jawi: ) in Malaysia is a council comprising the nine rulers of the Malay states, and the governors or ''Yang di-Pertua Negeri'' of the other four states. It wa ...

were held at the ''Bilik Mesyuarat Raja-Raja'' situated in the West Wing.

Gallery

File:MalKingsPalaceGate.jpg, Palace gates. File:Istana Negara KL 12 2007 011.jpg, Malaysian coat of arms as part of the Royal Insignia on the fence of the palace. File:Istana Negara KL 12 2007 007.jpg, The main gate is popular with tourists as a photo opportunity. File:Istana Negara KL 2007 003.jpg, Mounted royal guard at the main gate. File:Istana Negara KL 2007 004.jpg, Royal guard in a traditional '' samping''. File:Istana Negara KL 12 2007 012.jpg,

Changing of the Guard Guard mounting, changing the guard, or the changing of the guard, is a formal ceremony in which sentries performing ceremonial guard duties at important institutions are relieved by a new batch of sentries. The ceremonies are often elaborate an ...

ceremony at 12'o clock noon.

New Istana Negara

The new Istana Negara complex is located on Jalan Tuanku Abdul Halim in Kuala Lumpur. The court moved to the new palace in December 2011. Construction 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 ;Bibliography *

External links

{{Museums of Malaysia Museums in Kuala Lumpur Military history of Malaya during World War II