Muzium Daerah Belait | |
 Belait District Museum | |
 | |
| Established | 23 July 2016 |
|---|---|
| Location | Kuala Belait, Belait District, Brunei |
| Coordinates | 4°35′20″N114°11′28″E / 4.589020°N 114.191061°E |
| Type | Local museum |
| Collections | Cultural Heritage Gallery History Gallery |
| Director | Erdi Herman Tiban [1] |
| Website | museums.gov.bn |
Belait District Museum (Malay : Muzium Daerah Belait) is a cultural and history museum located at Jalan Maulana, Kuala Belait, Belait District of Brunei.
The building took up 6 acres (2.4 ha) of land with a blending architecture of both local Malay and Colonial. The roofing styles were belah bumbung and potong limas. [2]
The building itself was built in 1938. [3] During Sultan Hassanal Bolkiah's visit to the district in conjunction to his birthday, the building's banqueting hall was used. It was used as the official residence for the Deputy (Assistant) British Resident and later became the official residence of the Belait District Officers until 1990. [3] The first district officer to be residence in this building was Pengiran Abu Bakar, additionally he was the first local to be appointed Deputy British Resident. Mohd Kassim Johan was the last district officer to be resident in the building before being relocated to the present day building. [2] In the 1970s, it was expanded to host larger number of people. [4]
In 2006, it became a historical monument for the district under the Antiquities and Treasure Trove Act 1967. [2] The building was renovated in 2011 and open as a museum on 23 July 2016. [5] The open day was organized by the Museums Department under the Ministry of Culture, Youth and Sports. [4]
There are five galleries. Four for permanent exhibitions and one reserved for temporary exhibitions. It includes: [3]
Districts are the principal administrative divisions of Brunei. The country is divided into four districts, namely Brunei-Muara, Belait, Tutong and Temburong. Temburong is an exclave; it is physically separated from the three other districts by the Brunei Bay and Malaysian state of Sarawak. Each district has a town as its administrative and main economic centre, with the exception of Brunei-Muara, where the principal centre is Bandar Seri Begawan, a city and the country's capital.
Belait District or simply known as Belait, is the largest as well as the westernmost district in Brunei. It has an area of 2,727 square kilometres (1,053 sq mi) and the population of 65,531 as of 2021. The administrative town is Kuala Belait, located at the mouth of the 32 kilometres (20 mi) long Belait River. The district is commonly associated with the oil and gas industry of the country, mainly concentrated near the town of Seria.
Brunei–Muara District or simply known as Brunei–Muara, is the smallest as well as the most populated district in Brunei. It has an area of 571 square kilometres (220 sq mi) and the population of 318,530 as of 2021. The district is also home to its administrative centre is Bandar Seri Begawan, as well as the Brunei International Airport and Muara Port, the country's only international airport and deep-water port respectively. The Brunei River flows within this district and is home to Kampong Ayer. As the administrative center of Brunei is located in the district, it remains the most developed in the country with the most up-to-date infrastructure, despite not being the center of Brunei's main economic activity.
Tutong District or simply known as Tutong, is the third largest and populated district in Brunei. It has an area of 1,166 square kilometres (450 sq mi) and the population of 47,210 as of 2021. The district is also home to its administrative centre is Tutong Town, as well as the Tutong River and Tasek Merimbun, the country's second longest river and the only ASEAN Heritage Parks in Brunei respectively.
Kuala Belait or officially the Kuala Belait Town, and colloquially referred to as KB, is the administrative town of Belait District, Brunei. The population of the town proper was 4,259 in 2016. Kuala Belait is officially a municipal area, as well as a village under the mukim of the same name. The town is located 85 kilometres (53 mi) west of the country's capital Bandar Seri Begawan, and 20 kilometres (12 mi) west of Seria, the district's other town. It is also in the westernmost part of country, near the mouth of the Belait River.
Seria or officially known as Seria Town, is a town in Belait District, Brunei. It is located about 65 kilometres (40 mi) west from the country's capital Bandar Seri Begawan. The total population was 3,625 in 2016. It was where oil was first struck in Brunei in 1929 and has since become a centre for the country's oil and gas industry. The town's bazaar, officially opened on 19 September 1954, has few retail establishments, fresh food markets, supermarkets, banking services, tourist information centers, and a range of restaurants, including Malay, Chinese, Indian, Indonesian and Italian ones as well as outdoor dining in somewhat rustic settings. For processing documentation related to owning a car and hiring domestic helpers (amahs), government offices are located in Kuala Belait.
The administrative divisions of Brunei Darussalam mainly consist of daerah (districts), mukim (sub-districts), and kampung or kampong (villages). They are organised hierarchically in Brunei Darussalam, with daerah being the largest first level, and kampong the smallest third level.
Panaga is a coastal settlement on the north-east coast of the island of Borneo, in the Bruneian district of Belait. Officially known as Kampong Panaga, it is a village-level subdivision under Seria, a mukim or subdistrict of Belait. The settlement of Panaga comprises a public housing estate under the National Housing Scheme and the housing estate of Brunei Shell Petroleum (BSP), the main oil and gas company in the country. Panaga is also home to the headquarters of the company itself. The postcode for Panaga is KB4533.
Mukim Seria is a mukim in Belait District, Brunei. It has an area of 169 square kilometres (65 sq mi); the population was 21,214 in 2016. The mukim encompasses Seria, one of the only two towns in the district. It is home to the oil and gas industry of the country.
Kampong Sungai Teraban is a village in Belait District, Brunei, near the district's principal town Kuala Belait. It has an area of 22 square kilometres (8.5 sq mi); the population was 1,082 in 2016. It is one of the administrative villages within Mukim Kuala Belait.
Mukim Kuala Belait is a mukim in Belait District, Brunei. The population was 31,308 in 2016. The mukim encompasses Kuala Belait, the administrative town of the district.
Mukim Labi is a mukim in the interior of Belait District, Brunei. It has an area of 361.8 square kilometres (139.7 sq mi); the population was 1,216 in 2016.
Mukim Kuala Balai is a mukim located in the Belait District of Brunei, known for its unique geographical setting. As of 2016, the population was recorded at just 31 residents. The village of Kampong Kuala Balai is situated in the upper Kumgang region of Belait, forming part of the Mukim Kuala Balai catchment area. It is located approximately 28 kilometres (17 mi) from Kuala Belait. However, Kampong Kuala Balai is currently uninhabited due to factors such as migration to other villages and employment opportunities elsewhere, leading to a decline in its once-thriving community. It is an early settlement of the Belait people, who formed the majority of its population, and it once served as the administrative center for the Belait District during traditional governance and British residency, while also being a prominent exporter of ambulong (sago) in its heyday.
Brunei Museum, the country's largest and most significant national museum, is located in Kota Batu, Bandar Seri Begawan. This national museum houses a collection spanning Islamic art, Southeast Asian history from the 16th century, and extensive displays in archaeology and ethnography. Although the museum closed in 2014 for major repairs and upgrades, its much-anticipated reopening, initially set for 2020, has been delayed and remains closed as of 2022.
Kampong Lumut or commonly known as Lumut, is a coastal settlement in Belait District, Brunei Daurssalam, about 30 kilometres from the district town Kuala Belait. The total population was 11,273 in 2016.
The Figure Museum is a museum in Johor Bahru, Johor, Malaysia.
Kampong Pandan or simply known as Pandan, is a residential area in Kuala Belait, the principal town of Belait District, Brunei. It has a population of around 16,200 in 2016. It encompasses a housing estate of the country's National Housing Scheme.
Kampong Sungai Liang or simply Sungai Liang, is a village in Belait District, Brunei, about 40 kilometres (25 mi) from the district's principal town Kuala Belait and 20 kilometres (12 mi) from the oil town Seria. The population was 910 in 2016. It is one of the villages within Mukim Liang. The postcode is KC1135.
The Old Lapau or formerly known as Lapau, is a historic building in Bandar Seri Begawan, Brunei. It was the former Lapau prior to the existence of the current Lapau building. It was also where the Constitution of Brunei was promulgated in 1959. It now houses a museum pertaining to the Constitution.
The Istana Kota Manggalela, also known as Istana Manggalela, is one of the temporary official residences of the then Sultan of Brunei, Omar Ali Saifuddien III. The palace is located at Jalan Maulana, Kuala Belait, Belait District, Brunei. The building has become a tourist attraction and historical site in the present day.