The Old Lapau ( ms, Lapau Lama), formerly known as the Lapau, is a historical building in

Bandar Seri Begawan Bandar Seri Begawan (BSB; Jawi: بندر سري بڬاوان; ) is the capital city of Brunei. It is officially a municipal area () with an area of and an estimated population of 100,700 as of 2007. It is part of Brunei-Muara District, the sm ...

Brunei Brunei ( , ), formally Brunei Darussalam ( ms, Negara Brunei Darussalam, Jawi alphabet, 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 sur ...

. It was the former or royal ceremonial hall prior to the existence of the current

Lapau The Lapau, also known as the Royal Ceremonial Hall, is a ceremonial hall in Bandar Seri Begawan, Brunei. It is where the royal ceremonies, state investiture and some state events are traditionally held. It was the place where the present Sult ...

building. It was also where the

Constitution of Brunei The Constitution of Brunei Darussalam was created in 1959. Ultimate authority rests with the Sultan, who is both head of state and head of government. In 2004 the Sultan approved a number of amendments to the constitution, including provision for a ...

was promulgated in 1959. It now houses a museum pertaining to the Constitution.

Building

The building is located at Jalan James Pearce in Pusat Bandar, the

city centre A city centre is the commercial, cultural and often the historical, political, and geographic heart of a city. The term "city centre" is primarily used in British English, and closely equivalent terms exist in other languages, such as "" in Fren ...

of Bandar Seri Begawan. It is now part of the

Brunei History Centre The Brunei History Centre (, abbreviated as ') is a government institution which conducts research, documentation, publication and dissemination on matters pertaining to the history of Brunei. It was established in 1982 by the consent of Sultan H ...

building and adjacent to the

Ministry of Home Affairs An interior ministry (sometimes called a ministry of internal affairs or ministry of home affairs) is a government department that is responsible for internal affairs. Lists of current ministries of internal affairs Named "ministry" * Ministry ...

. The building once served as the , a Bruneian traditional hall where royal ceremonies were held. It was built during the reign of

Sultan Omar Ali Saifuddien III Sultan Sir Omar Ali Saifuddien Sa'adul Khairi Waddien ( Jawi: ; 23 September 1914 – 7 September 1986) was the 28th Sultan of Brunei, reigning from 4 June 1950 until his abdication from the throne on 5 October 1967. He was also Brunei's fir ...

, the 28th

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 bac ...

. The building eventually could not accommodate the growing capacity and a new building was built which effectively replaced the existing building from 1968 until today. Since September 2018 the building now houses the 1959 Brunei Constitution Gallery (), a museum which showcases visual information on the Constitution of Brunei which was promulgated in the very building on 29 September 1959. The building has been officially designated as a historic site under the Antiquities and Treasure Trove Act of Brunei.

References

External links

* {{commons category inline Lapau, Old Historic sites in Brunei