Editor Pick
Palace of the Sultan of Brunei
- October 7, 2001
- Rated 4 of 5 by
Marianne from Eindhoven, Netherlands
A small moustache, friendly eyes, Sultan, Kebawah Duli Yang Maha Mulia Paduka Seri Baginda Sultan Haji Hassanal Bolkiah Mu'izzaddin Waddaulah Ibni Al-Marhum Sultan Haji Omar 'Ali Saifuddien Sa'adul Khairi Waddien, Sultan and Yang Di-Pertuan of Negara Brunei Darussalam - to give his full name and title, or His Majesty Sultan Hassanal Bolkiah – to use the popular name.
Together with the safety instructions he sits in the pouch of the chair before me. From the cover of the "In-flight Magazine" he smiles, in a charming and irresistable way.
Raja Isteri could not resist this smile either. She was 16 and he was 19 when they married. Ten years later he met Mariam Bell, who was half Japanese and half Scottish. She became his second wife. The sultan has 4 sons and 6 daughters.
The sultan owns four palaces: Istana Nurul Iman, Istana Nurul Izzah, Istana Darussalam, Istana Darul Hana.
Some facts:
The largest palace is Istana Nurul Iman.
Building cost: USD 400 million
In this palace you can find:
1788 rooms
257 toilets
564 chandeliers
18 lifs
51,000 light bulbs
44 stairwells
mosque for 1500 people
banquet hall for 4000 guests
And also:
5 swimming pools
air conditioned stables for his 200 polo ponies
a huge collections of motorcars: 165 Rolls Royces, aeroplanes and helicopters.
He is the owner of the Dorchester Hotel in London, the Holiday Inn in Singapore, and the Beverly Hills Hotel in Los Angeles.
Money plays no role. The sultan looks well after his people:
They pay no taxes
education and health care are free
Everyone gets a pension
the minimum wage is the highest in south east Asia.
Female Royals like to buy through the internet. They order from Harrods in London. The same day their orders are flown from Heathrow to Bandar by Royal Brunei Airlines.
Bruneians are well off moneywise. However, since 1962 they have not been allowed to vote. In that year there were riots, which were duly stopped.
PRACTICAL INFORMATION:Istana Nurul Iman is situated 4 km outside Bandar on the Sungai Brunei. It is open to the public once a year on Hari Raya Aidilfitri. This is the end of Ramadan, The month when Muslims don't eat from sunrise to sunset. It is a moveable feast, so every year, a different date.
From journal A Tiny Sultanate and a Rich Sultan