Travel: Discover Brunei through these must-visit places

The first thing that greeted my eyes immediately after coming out from the international airport terminal at Bandar Seri Begawan, the capital of Brunei Darussalam, was a nice little mosque, which signalled that I was entering a country where Islamic heritage takes centre stage. However, the outside world knows Brunei more as an oil-rich country, led by a monarch who is super-wealthy and enjoys a luxurious lifestyle. Reading several media stories about him and his wealthy empire, many including myself conceived a perception that everything in Brunei is wrapped in gold from the water taps to mosque minarets.

When I tried to verify this common-person belief from my tour guide Mohammed while driving from the airport to Brunei Hotel, he proudly stated that their king is wealthy enough to have several Rolls-Royces, Bentleys and Ferraris in the garage and surely there are things in Brunei that are made of gold or gold-plated. These include domes of the city’s two key mosques and the royal palace and some of the artwork engraved on the royal regalia and interior of the seven-star Empire Hotel.

Laid on the Borneo Island in South-East Asia along with some parts of Malaysia and Indonesia, Brunei began its journey as a trading port. The kingdom, referred to as a Sultanate, has been ruled by Muslim rulers called Sultans since the 14th century. In the late 19th century, Brunei became a protectorate of the British Government, with the Sultan managing all internal issues while the British controlled external relationships. The discovery of oil in 1929 radically changed its fate, swiftly propelling it to become one of the wealthiest nations globally through the sale of petroleum products.

In 1984, the British ceased all protective arrangements by granting full independence to Brunei and transferring power to His Majesty Hassanal Bolkiah, the current and the nation’s 29th Sultan, who has been on the throne since 1968, the year after his father abdicated. His vast wealth, worth around USD30 billion, and lavish spending trend have created a sensation in the media worldwide. It’s said he owns countless luxury cars and private jets, and an opulent home which is the world’s largest residential royal abode as per the Guinness Book of World Records. The public can view the palace, called Istana Nurul Iman, only from outside but nothing much can be seen other than the ornamented gate guarded by a friendly royal sentry who was happy to pose for a photograph with me.

Sultan Hassanal’s father, Sultan Omar Ali Saifuddien III, elevated opulence to new heights by constructing the imposing Omar Ali Saifuddien Mosque in the capital, which stands today majestically like a national emblem. Built in 1958, this architectural marvel is the nation’s most photographed icon featuring blend of styles from Italian Renaissance to Indian Mughal dynasty. That’s why when I looked at it, the wondrous Taj Mahal struck in my mind. Following his father’s footsteps, Sultan Hassanal built the equally impressive Jame’ Asr Hassanil Bolkiah Mosque in 1994, which represents Turkish Ottoman flairs. Both mosques have their domes made of pure gold, glittering under the sun as well as in the evening under the lights.

To see more of the golden glitter, I visited the Royal Regalia Museum, which houses the Sultan’s full royal regalia, including exhibits commemorating the silver and golden jubilee celebrations of the present monarch’s reign. My jaws dropped seeing the expansive golden artwork on the chariots, which carried the Sultan through the city streets during the anniversary festivals. More gold, rather gold plating was visible when I toured the seven-star Empire Hotel, which was originally built as a 500-room palace where the columns and balustrades are ornamented with gold-plated artwork.