Kota Batu | |
|---|---|
 | |
  Location in Brunei | |
| Coordinates: 4°52′56″N114°57′53″E / 4.882168°N 114.964646°E | |
| Country | Brunei |
| District | Brunei-Muara |
| Mukim | Kota Batu |
| Postcode | BD1517 |
Kota Batu is a historical as well as populated area in Bandar Seri Begawan, the capital of Brunei. It is home to the Kota Batu archaeological site, a few of the country's museums and two mausoleums of the earliest Sultans of Brunei. However, the place is still populated and at present it is a neighbourhood of the capital. [1]
"Kota Batu" is the Malay term which literally means "Stone Fort". [2]
Kota Batu was believed to be the ancient capital of Brunei. During the Castilian War, the Spainards capture the city on April 16, 1578; the Bruneians retook it in June 26, 1578. The city remained the capital before the emergence of Kampong Ayer, which is further inland, and over the Brunei River, during the Brunei Civil War in the 17th century. According to Brunei source Silsilah Raja-Raja Brunei, Kota Batu was founded by Sharif Ali ibn Ajlan ibn Rumaithah ibn Muhammad. [3] [4] Among the founding workers were Chinese people. The palace, masjid and educational institutions were built in the quickly developing center of the Sultanate. During the reign of Muhammad Hassan, there were "two palaces within a square compound surrounded by a wall" in Kota Batu. [4]
As Kota Batu is still a populated area, it is primarily gazetted as a village, the third- and lowest-level administrative division of Brunei. It is one of the villages under the mukim of the same name, which a subdistrict of Brunei-Muara District. Kota Batu is also a designated postcode area with the postcode BD1517. [5] [6] However, the archaeological site in Kota Batu as well as its vicinity, which includes the mausoleums and the museums' area, have also been gazetted under the Antiquities and Treasure Trove Act of 1967 and thus managed by the government's Museums Department. [7]
Since 2007, Kota Batu has also been incorporated into Bandar Seri Begawan municipal area and thus, becomes a neighbourhood of the capital. [1]
Kota Batu is home to among the most important historical places in Brunei, which also serve as the country's tourist attractions.
The archaeological site in Kota Batu was discovered in the 1950s and it was the first one in the archaeological history of the country. [8] Kota Batu archaeological site has since become the largest and most prominent, [8] which has since yielded important artifacts, most notably Chinese porcelain which are datable to the Song dynasty (960–1279 AD). The site has also unearthed remains of stone structures from the place eventually obtained the name. [2] The site has now been made into an 'archaeological park' where it is opened to the public. [8]
Kota Batu is also home to two royal tombs which belong to the third and fifth Sultans of Brunei, Sharif Ali and Bolkiah. [9] The official history dates the Sultans to had lived in the fifteenth and sixteenth centuries respectively. Mausoleums have been built in the modern time to house the tombs.
In regards to the historical importance of Kota Batu, a few museums have been established in the area. [9] The Brunei Museum is the national museum of Brunei and the current building was inaugurated in 1972, although it is temporarily closed since 2014 until further notice. [10] The Malay Technology Museum was opened in 1984 and has galleries mainly dedicated to depicting the traditional lifestyle and technology which had been practiced by the Kampong Ayer residents throughout history. The most recent museum in Kota Batu is the Brunei Darussalam Maritime Museum; it was inaugurated in 2015 and mainly exhibits the artifacts from the Brunei Shipwreck which was discovered off the coast of Brunei in 1997. [11]
Bandar Seri Begawan is the capital city of Brunei. It is officially a municipal area with an area of 100.36 square kilometres (38.75 sq mi) and an estimated population of 100,700 as of 2007. It is part of Brunei-Muara District, the smallest yet most populous district which is home to over 70 per cent of the country's population. It is the country's largest urban centre and nominally the country's only city. The capital is home to Brunei's seat of government, as well as a commercial and cultural centre. It was formerly known as Brunei Town until it was renamed in 1970 in honour of Sultan Omar Ali Saifuddien III, the 28th Sultan of Brunei and the father of the current Sultan Hassanal Bolkiah.
Brunei-Muara District or simply Brunei-Muara is one of the four districts of Brunei. It has the smallest area among the four districts, with 571 square kilometres (220 sq mi), yet is the most populous, with 289,630 people as of 2016. Bandar Seri Begawan, the country's capital, is located in this district, which is also de facto the district's capital. It is also home to Brunei International Airport, the country's only international airport, as well as Muara Port, the main and only deep-water port in the country. The Brunei River flows within this district and is home to Kampong Ayer, the traditional historic settlement on stilts above the river.
The Brunei River is a river which flows through Brunei and empties into the Brunei Bay towards the north-east direction. The Istana Nurul Iman, the official residence of the Sultan of Brunei, stands on its banks. The Brunei River is the shortest major river in Brunei. It is the major river basin within the Brunei-Muara District, the smallest but most populous district. It flows through the country's capital Bandar Seri Begawan. It is home to Kampong Ayer, the Brunei's traditional village on stilts above the river water.
Kampong Mumong or simply known as Mumong, is a residential suburb of Kuala Belait, the principal town of Belait District, Brunei. It comprises the original Mumong settlement, as well as the Mumong public housing estate of the Landless Indigenous Citizens' Housing Scheme. However, it officially consists of two village subdivisions, namely Mumong 'A' and Mumong 'B', which are under the mukim of Kuala Belait.
Mukim Kota Batu is a mukim in Brunei-Muara District, Brunei. The population was 12,935 in 2016. The mukim is home to some of the country's museums and historical sites, in particular in Kota Batu.
The Malay Technology Museum is a museum in Kota Batu, a historical area in Bandar Seri Begawan, Brunei. It was opened in 1988 and contains exhibits on the traditional technologies used by the indigenous people of Brunei.
Kampong Pancha Delima is a village in Brunei-Muara District, Brunei, and a neighbourhood in the capital Bandar Seri Begawan. The population was 1,562 in 2016. It is one of the villages within Mukim Berakas 'A'. The postcode is BB4513.
Kampong Madang is a village in Brunei-Muara District, Brunei, as well as a neighbourhood in the capital Bandar Seri Begawan. The population was 1,231 in 2016. It is one of the villages within Mukim Berakas 'B'. The postcode is BC3715.
Kampong Manggis is a village in Brunei-Muara District, Brunei, as well as a neighbourhood in the capital Bandar Seri Begawan. The population was 4,229 in 2016. It is one of the villages within Mukim Berakas 'B'. The postcode is BC3615.
Kampong Serusop or simply known as Serusop, is a village in Brunei-Muara District, Brunei, and a neighbourhood in the capital Bandar Seri Begawan. The population was 1,474 in 2016. It is one of the villages within Mukim Berakas 'A'. The postcode is BB2313.
Limbongan was a neighbourhood in Kampong Ayer, the riverine stilt settlement in Bandar Seri Begawan, the capital of Brunei. It was officially a village subdivision under Tamoi, a mukim (subdistrict) of Brunei-Muara District, and had the postcode BL1312. Limbongan was one of the traditional stilt neighbourhoods which had existed along the banks of the Kedayan River, a tributary of the Brunei River in the vicinity of Kampong Ayer, before they were eventually demolished in the 2010s and redeveloped into Taman Mahkota Jubli Emas, a riverfront park.
Kampong Pengkalan Gadong is a village in Brunei-Muara District, Brunei, as well as a neighbourhood and commercial area in the capital Bandar Seri Begawan. The population was 3,147 in 2016. It is one the villages within Mukim Gadong 'B'. The postcode is BE3719.
Tungkadeh, commonly known as Mabohai, is a small neighbourhood in Bandar Seri Begawan, the capital of Brunei. It is officially a village subdivision under Kianggeh, a mukim (subdistrict) of Brunei-Muara District. The postcodes for Tungkadeh are BA1111 and BA1311.
Kampong Subok is a village in Brunei-Muara District, Brunei. It is also a neighbourhood in the capital Bandar Seri Begawan. The population was 2,681 in 2016. It is one of the villages within Mukim Kota Batu. The postcode is BD2717.
Kampong Limau Manis is a village in the south-west of Brunei-Muara District, Brunei. The population was 1,097 in 2016. It is one of the villages within Mukim Pengkalan Batu, a mukim in the district. It is home to an important archaeological site in the country, dating back to the 10th century AD. Their primary economic activities were agriculture and collecting forest products.
Kampong Sungai Besar or commonly known as Sungai Besar, is a village in the east of Brunei-Muara District, Brunei, near the mouth of the Brunei River with the Brunei Bay. The population was 2,039 in 2016.
Kampong Pelambayan or simply known as Pelambayan. is a village in Brunei-Muara District, Brunei. It is also a neighbourhood in the country's capital Bandar Seri Begawan. The population was 714 in 2016. It is one of the villages within Mukim Kota Batu. The postcode is BD2317.
Kampong Pintu Malim or simply Pintu Malim, is a village in Brunei-Muara District, Brunei. It is also a neighbourhood in the country's capital Bandar Seri Begawan. The population was 319 in 2016. It is one of the villages within Mukim Kota Batu. The postcode is BD1317.
Kampong Sungai Lampai is a village in Brunei-Muara District, Brunei. It is also a neighbourhood in the country's capital Bandar Seri Begawan. The population was 314 in 2016. It is one of the villages within Mukim Kota Batu. The postcode is BD1117.
Kampong Bolkiah is a village and housing estate in Kampong Ayer, the traditional riverine settlement in Bandar Seri Begawan, the capital of Brunei. The total population was 2,143 in 2016.