Istana Nurul Iman

Istana Nurul Iman was included in the Guinness Book of Records as the world's largest living residence of a state head. This massive royal dwelling is several times larger than the Palace of Versailles and Buckingham Palace. It stands on the banks of the Bandar Seri Begawan River, several kilometres south of Brunei’s capital. The palace was built in two years and finished the attainment of Brunei’s independence from Britain on January 1st 1984.

Curved roofs of the buildings and the huge golden dome of the palace mosque rise over green trees. The traditional architecture is mixed with ultra-modern luxurious decor: Italian marble, granite from Shanghai, English glass and the best Chinese silk. Gold and marble were the main decoration materials of the Palace. There are 44 staircases made from marble. Istana Nurul Iman contains 1788 premises. The whole palace contains 200,000 square meters of space.

The mosque of the Istana Nurul Iman can accommodate up to 1500 people, while the banquet hall can provide space for over 5000 guests. The palace even has a helipad, five swimming pools and more than 250 bathrooms. The palace is the king's residence and is not open to the public. The only occasion people can enter in the year is the Hari Raya festival which takes place in 3 days. Normally, about 110,000 visitors will visit the Istana Nurul Iman during these three days. They will be given food or a small amount of money by the king.

Location: Jalan Menteri Besar, Bandar Seri Begawan, Brunei

Website: http://www.istananuruliman.org/

Tel: 673 862 3734

Hour: Open all hours

Google Rating: 4.5/5