A complete guide to iconic places. Sightseeing in Bandar Seri Begawan - what to see. A complete guide to iconic places Museum of unnecessary things

Imagine the capital of Brunei. Not even like that. The capital of the state of Brunei Darussalam, where the palace is located. (By the way, the largest palace in the world!) Have you imagined? I imagined such a capital as something from or fairy tales of 1001 nights. Like this:

This photo was actually taken in the capital of Brunei, a city called Bandar Seri Begawan. But it would be wrong to think that everything there looks so fabulous. With posts from Brunei, I hesitated a little, it's time to fix it.

The capital of Brunei until the middle of the 20th century was called Bandar Brunei, which meant "Brunei City". The first settlement on this site appeared in the 7th century. In 1967, Sultan Omar Ali, the current pope, decided to cede the throne to his eldest son. Having ceased to be a monarch, Omar took for himself the modest title of Seri Begawan, which means "blessed". In gratitude, the new Sultan changed the name of the main city of the kingdom in honor of his father, calling it the City of the Blessed, or Bandar Seri Begawan.

1 Brunei's main airport is located a few kilometers from the center. Before boarding, you must fill out a migration card. On it is a polite warning: death for drug trafficking in Brunei. I have nothing to do with drugs, but it's still somehow unpleasant to see this. Haven't encountered this anywhere else.

2 Brunei is a Muslim country, Sharia reigns here. Alcohol is not sold in the country (maybe from under the floor?), but infidels are allowed to import a limited amount. After all, everyone knows that we can’t live without drinking. But you need to fill out a separate alcohol declaration, describing how much and what you are carrying.

3 We fly up. The coastline is visible from above. Brunei is located on the island of Borneo, most of which is occupied by Indonesia and Malaysia (the latter is the only state with which Brunei borders). About Borneo, I only know that there is a jungle. There is really a lot of greenery outside the window.

4 Suburbs. Multi-colored houses are somehow randomly sketched in the middle of the forest.

5 And here is the city itself. In the distance, with four minarets, the mosque of Jaim Asr Hassanal Bolkiah is visible. We will see her again. As you already understood, there are no skyscrapers or skyscrapers here. Bandar Seri Begawan is not even close.

6 Let's take a look at the map. The capital of Brunei is located on the northern bank of the river, which is coincidentally called the Brunei River. From the north, another river flows into this river - the Kedayan River, it divides the city into the western and eastern parts.

I've marked three districts on the map with numbers, so that it's easier to understand what's where. Let's start with one:

7 So, the mosque of Omar Ali Saifuddin is the main beauty of the city. She is as close as possible to the aesthetics of 1001 nights, Prince of Persia, and everything else - and yes, she is depicted in the title photo of this post. It was built in 1958 by the same Sultan Omar, who later abdicated - and accordingly named after him.

8 On the map, it is next to number 1, and at one corner it overlooks a beautiful round pond. In it, the mosque is very well reflected in clear weather.

9 The mosque is elegant, discreet, made of white and light beige marble, with gilded domes. Loudspeakers are installed on the towers and minarets. The height of the main dome (it is covered with gold) is 52 meters.

10 During prayers, non-Muslims are not allowed inside. Unfortunately, most of the time is reserved for prayers, and it was not easy to see the interior. I came several times a day for three days in a row, until I finally got a break from the service. But even then it didn’t work out much: inside, next to the entrance, they lay a special carpet for the infidels, and they don’t allow you to go beyond it. You can't even see the inside of the dome from it! Well, to the heap, photography is also prohibited. It is not clear why such strictness. For example, I have not encountered such restrictions in .

11 The main mosque looks most beautiful at night, when it is illuminated from the inside with a gentle green light.

12 After evening prayers, men communicate while sitting on benches in the courtyard in front of the mosque. The cream of society must be praying here!

For the 1,400th anniversary of the Koran in 1967, an artificial island in the shape of a traditional barge was built in the pond next to the mosque. It is said that this particular one belonged to the Sultan in the 16th century.

13 Yes, the Sultan of Omar Mosque undoubtedly impresses with its unobtrusive elegance.

However, this is not the largest mosque in the city.

14 This title belongs to a newer mosque, Jame Asr Hassanal Bolkiah, built by the current sultan in 1994. There are four huge minarets, a very large dome, many galleries, gardens and fountains. In short, too much. As a result, due to pathos, the elegance present in the Omar Ali mosque is lost.

15 Look at this grand entrance! Apparently there is even an escalator, although it is closed now. Unfortunately, infidels were also not allowed inside this mosque.

"Come tomorrow," they told me politely, "at eight in the morning."

"I'll definitely come," I lied in response.

But you go if you're in those parts, maybe you're lucky. Jaim Asr Hassanal Bolkiah - the largest mosque in the country, is located next to the number 2 on my map.

16 There are also Christian churches in Bandar Seri Begawan. The truth is a little, and much simpler than mosques. No gilded domes for you, no marble for you. An ordinary house with a small tower.

In this regard, the Chinese approached the issue more responsibly, built an impressive temple for themselves next to a multi-storey parking lot.

* * *
17 As I said, the Kedayan River divides the capital into two parts. To the east of it, where the mosque of Omar Ali (number 1) are all the official buildings. Most of the hotels are located here, so I lived here. The area has many official institutions and a claim to pretty architecture.

18 Unfortunately, there are absolutely no people here, and there is absolutely nothing to do. Right by the water there are a couple of cafes and one shopping center, but mostly these are impregnable official buildings.

19 In this part of the city you can find the newest, tallest residential buildings in the city. Obviously, officials and other elites live here, who "aspire to Asia."

I had to walk along this roadside along the fence for a couple of kilometers, until I stomped to the bridge over the Kedayan River, and ended up in the western part of the city.

21 This is the area near the number 2. Everything is livelier here! That is, faster. The vast majority of buildings here are no higher than three floors, but all are hung with signs, advertising and air conditioning. There are a lot of different fast food, clothing and electronics stores.

22 And yet, unlike the eastern part of the city, there are a lot of cars. As I learned, so apparently many of them park here. (And yes, a lot of the cars here have VIP owners at McDonald's and Starbucks.) This seems to be a middle-class neighborhood. While I was walking there, my eyes dazzled from all the signs.

23 In my opinion, this is the only building with a more or less Spartan facade. In any other city, I would be outraged by its blue glasses, but in Bandar Seri Begawan, where on the one hand there is Muslim pathos, and on the other - gypsyism, this relatively calm plastic looks almost a classic.

24 Most of the buildings were filled with outdoor units of air conditioners.

25 The local shop sells Brunei-style clothes. Looking forward to the harsh reports of the fashion blogger varlamov.ru when he gets to these edges.

Speaking of stores...

26 This is what the little shop looks like. Something like a New York grocery or a Japanese combi. All the food here is dry or canned, there is nothing fresh.

27 And here is a real grocery store, in the basement of the mall. They even have fresh sushi!

28 By the way, this is the only shopping center in the number one area (next to the Omar Ali Mosque). Of course, it is named after the Sultan! To protect people from heavy rains, which are not uncommon here, the building is surrounded by outdoor galleries.

Residents wait here for showers. Unfortunately, there are few such covered passages in Bandar Seri Begawan.

29 The Sultan Shopping Center is the westernmost building in terms of content in the Brunei capital. Of course, it doesn’t pull up to the European level, but it boldly reminds (only there are certainly more goods here). It is not surprising that it was here, on the second floor, that the embassies of Germany and France decided to settle down.

30 You can also buy low-grade gold trinkets.

31 When I was here, there was a mini race in the lobby on the first floor. I still don't understand what the purpose of the game is. Participants put three cars on the track, and they did a few laps. Then the participants changed. Whether they were playing for money or some points, I did not understand.

32 In the basement there is not only food, but also household!

A few differences:

33 Block for three pay phones. There is one machine, one (for some reason) ordinary phone, and an empty place. That is, the intelligence of this composition boldly competes with its attractiveness.

34 Main hospital. It looks new, and well-equipped (if the hospital can be judged by the facade). For some reason, the logo also has a star. I don't know what that means.

Entrance to the cemetery. Infidels are not allowed there, at least they did not let me in. Interestingly, teapots hang on the gates. Who knows what it's for?

35 This is a very colorful area, I marked it on the map with the number 3. A village on stilts, standing on the banks and aground of the Kedayan River. All houses and platforms look very homemade. Came here in the evening, which only added to this fabulous place.

36 I love these areas - it reminded me of the ones I visited a few days earlier.

Usually there is a bridge that leads through Kedayan directly to the mosque of Omar Ali, but now they have started a grandiose restoration, and the bridge is closed.

37 Near the rich official part of the city (1) there is a royal park. Everything here is beautiful, even almost Japanese, sleek. Pretty green paths wind along the hilly banks of the stream.

38 There are also wilder trails if you climb up the hill a little.

39 I walked from the park back to the center, I look - there is a whole flock of monkeys on the road! Probably the inhabitants of Asia are already accustomed to them, and perceive them as we look at rats or pigeons. But it's still new to me. Stopped to take pictures.

40 I didn’t even notice how one monkey came closer to me and began to attack militantly, baring its fangs. Looks like the alpha male was trying to drive me away from the pack. I was a little scared, moved a respectable distance, and waited for these animals to pass.

Now it’s somehow embarrassing to even remember that I was scared of the monkey.

41 A little about public transport. Good covered bus stops are scattered around the city.

42 There are even such solid ones - as if highway buses stop here, like in Latin America!

43 But in fact, Bandar Seri Begawan is served by such small buses, a little more than ordinary minibuses. And it's not like there were too many of them. I walked all the time, and maybe only 1-2 times I was overtaken by these buses.

44 Let's talk about walking. It is not accepted here. In all my time in the city, I've met maybe a dozen walkers, and most of them were tourists. These three were the largest foot crowd I had seen in three days. As they passed, they looked at me with genuine surprise.

45 By the way, where they are (in the center, next to the mosque of Omar Ali), the sidewalks of Bandar Seri Begawan look like this - red concrete in the form of pebbles. Nice!

46 But in general, the city is not suitable for walking. For example, the ditches here are wide and deep, if you go in the evening, you can easily fall there with one foot!

47 And rain grates are too rarely made. Even my adult foot barely reached three bars wide. It will be very dangerous for a child or a woman to walk here in heels.

48 And many roads do not have sidewalks. For example, to get from point (2) to point (3), I had to stomp along the side of the highway. I walk, and cars drive by.

In short, walking around Bendar Seri Begawan on foot is still a pleasure. On the one hand, one could recommend renting a car, on the other hand, it is not very clear where to drive it. So it's best to remember the number of a good taxi driver. .

49 And here, I almost forgot. Poor area on the way from (1) to (2).

51 Half a dozen waiting boatmen are constantly clustered around the central piers.

52 And the piers are scattered throughout the city. Brunei has a long history of river fishing, and most areas are close to some kind of water in one way or another.

53 True, the water in the local rivers is far from clean, so it’s probably better not to touch it too much from a boat.

54 Water taxis take you to the most interesting area of ​​Bandar Seri Begawan, the world's largest water village on stilts, Kampung Ayer.

Bandar Seri Begawan is the capital of Brunei, which is located on the coast of the river of the same name. The area is a small valley, which is surrounded, like guardians, by hills overgrown with dense forests. The old part of this settlement is the "village on the water", in which about forty thousand inhabitants live. Due to the fact that the city is located near the river channel, the main occupation of the population is fishing.

In the seventh century, the first settlements appeared on the territory of this city. But the circumstances were such that they changed their location several times: at first, settlers lived on the lands of Mukim Kota Batu. Then Kampong Ayer became their "home". And already in the twenties of the last century, this settlement occupied a modern location. At first it was called Brunei, since the 70s of the twentieth century it received a new “name” - Bandar Seri Begawan, thanks to the Muslim ruler Omar Ali Saifuddin.

At the meeting, the local peoples greet, lightly touching the hand, after which it must be pressed to the chest. Representatives of the opposite sex should not shake hands with each other, such manipulations are considered bad manners. When talking, you can not poke a finger, pointing at an object. The fair sex dress modestly, especially if they go to the mosque. neither elbows nor knees should stand out from under the robe. At the same time, it is not customary to wear yellow clothes here, since such a shade is allowed only to the Sultan. Copyright www.site

What to see in Bandar Seri Begawan? Treat yourself to a pleasant walk to the city center, to the city stadium, near which is the most important sacred place of the Muslim people - Pekan Seria. When translated from the Malay dialect, the first part of the name means "City". In this regard, in detail this attraction can be called the "Mosque of the city - Seria".

All three countries pretend that 3 different peoples live in them with 3, if possible, different languages: therefore, Malaysia writes Malay as usual, Brunei tries to use Arabic script, and Indonesia, for the sake of independence, calls Malay "Indonesian" and actively develops the language own vocabulary and constructions. For example, in Malay and Brunei, the island will, of course, be Borneo (the distorted “Brunei” is the name given to the island during European contact by Magellan’s First Round-the-World Expedition), and in Indonesian, Kalimantan.

Previously, Brunei controlled almost all of Borneo and the surrounding islands, but the European powers gradually reduced the country to modern 5.265 km 2 (this is about as or) with the full support of Great Britain, despite the fact that Brunei was its protectorate. Clear picture from Wikipedia:

Oil was found in 1929 and since then the history of the country has changed: Brunei gained independence from only in 1984, 21 years later than other British colonies on the island.

Kampong Ayer:

Traditional houses in Kampung Ayer look like real Kalimantan in places long houses, which the locals used to build for extended families or generally unrelated people from the same village - with a public corridor on one side of the ridge of the house, and with private rooms on the other:

In classic longhouse on the ground in the jungle, piles are needed so that the wind cools the building and the residents, so that it does not flood during floods, and at normal times cattle hides under the house. In Kampung Ayer, rubbish, sewage and sometimes boats float under the houses.

Otherwise, the life of Kampung Ayer is the most ordinary, as in any city on land: satellite dishes look exactly up (Kalimantan Island is on the equator):

Mosques on stilts:

Fire station on stilts, instead of fire trucks - fire boats:

There is no sewerage, but there is running water, light and street signs on shining chrome posts, all on stilts:

Kittens:

Kampong Air is gradually falling into disrepair:

Parts of Kampong Aira, destroyed by old age, fires, hurricanes and floods, are being built up with new cottages upholstered in beautiful Chinese siding:

A large suspension bridge is being built across the Brunei River - soon parts of Bandar Seri Begawan and Kampung Ayer will come together and there will be no need for many taxi boats:

Bandar Seri Begawan advances relentlessly on Kampung Ayer:

Come to Brunei - there is still something to see, but not for long: not a single city has yet withstood the onslaught of petrodollars and Chinese siding.

To be continued about Temburong

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Cruise ships in Brunei dock at the port town of Muara. The cruise terminal itself does not have its own name. The hangar just says CRUISE SHIP CENTER. Inside there are souvenir shops, a currency exchange office (the exchange rate depends on the denomination of the banknote - they do not like small bills). There is free Wi-Fi.

Brunei on a cruise trip is conditionally visa-free. The visa stamp will be put on the ship and 14 US dollars will be charged for this from the onboard card. By the way, entry to Brunei is visa-free for Ukrainians. In 2011, the "criminal" Yanukovych traveled to Brunei, where "over a cup of tea" he agreed with the Sultan on a visa-free regime with Ukraine. By the way, he presented the state award "For Merit" to the Sultan.

In fact, there is no Brunei nationality and a separate Brunei language. These are the same Malays as their neighbors, and the state language is Malay (with a Brunei accent). 64% are Muslims, 20% are Chinese Buddhists, 10% are Protestants, and the remaining 6% are aboriginal pagans who believe in spirits.

It just so happened that Brunei and Singapore, for various reasons, never entered the Federation of Malaya, which the British created in the late 50s, leaving their colonial region.

This is how a new state appeared on the modern map like a heart sign - Brunei Darussalam (Malay Brunei Darussalam, translated means Brunei - the abode of peace).

If we delve deep into history, we will find out that it was here that five hundred years ago, in 1521, sailors from the expedition of Magellan moored, and Brunei occupied almost the entire island. The Sultanate was huge, but shrank like shagreen leather to two dots on the map. These are the paradoxes of fate...

How to take a sightseeing tour of the capital Bandar Seri Begawan (abbreviated as BSB) and the surrounding area,
followed by trips to the beach?

The first option is by public transport. There is a bus station a kilometer from the port, from which bus number 38 leaves for the BSB center. The fare is one Brunei dollar, which is equal to one Singapore dollar. You can take the bus for $2.

The second option is a taxi 20-40$ per car for 4 persons with a return to the port. Depending on the rental and waiting time.

The third option is to pre-order a sightseeing tour from a Brunei travel agency. The average price is 90 Brunei = Singapore dollars (about 55-60 euros) per person.

The fourth option is a ship excursion, the price is about a hundred euros.

We chose the first option. What did you see:

Mosque of Omar Ali Saifuddin. Photography is allowed only outside the mosque building.

The Sultan's Palace Istana Nurul Iman is listed in the Guinness Book of Records as the largest residence in the world - world's largest residential palace.

One of the tourist features of Brunei is the oldest water village of Kampong Ayer, which has existed for over 1300 years. At the moment, about 30 thousand Brunei live in houses on stilts, this is more than half of the 50 thousandth population of Bandar Seri Begawan. In fact, the water part of Kampong Ayer, for a long time, was considered the center of the capital, until decrees were adopted to expand the land border of the city.

8 kilometers of water surface in length, 29 kilometers of footbridges between 28 mini-villages, several water mosques, schools and even a police prison.

The Sultan is a kind ruler, realizing that he cannot break the centuries-old way of life and resettle everyone on land,
builds new buildings here using modern technologies on reinforced concrete piles and distributes them free of charge, instead of wooden ones destroyed by water and time.

For tourists, one demonstrative gallery of houses (Potemkin village on the water) has been made, the owners of which are always happy to see tourists.

The Kampong Ayer Museum is located here. They show a five-minute film about the thousand-year history of the village. Archive of various documents and photos, household utensils. There is an observation tower with a viewing platform.

We also visited the most expensive hotel in the world, worth $2.7 billion. In the hotel classification there is no concept of 6 * stars, which journalists like to attribute to luxury hotels.

The Empire Hotel & Country Club is officially rated 5 stars. It is part of the WORLDHOTELS network, which includes 150 hotels around the world. One of the co-owners of the network is said to be the Sultan of Brunei.

The price of a double room is 270 Brunei (Singapore) dollars per night. Not a disaster at all. The impression that the hotel is half empty and hardly pays for itself. We didn’t like the color of the sea near the hotel, but the huge swimming pool really beckoned and lured.

Muara Beach, the closest to the pier, is within walking distance from the port, only one kilometer - half an hour at a leisurely pace. The second Serasa Beach is further away on the spit of the same name on the other side. Go longer, more than an hour.

We visited the nearest Muara Beach, whose coastal park resembles .... Moscow Serebryany Bor. Sand and fir trees, not palm trees. Taiga on the beach .... a hundred kilometers from the hot equator. Horror stories were said on board that water could contain fuel oil, as oil tankers were stationed in the roadstead. However, there were apparently very strong waves the day before. A lot of logs and branches washed up on the shore. Oil was not seen.

The sand is pale yellow. The entrance to the water is gentle, without depth, and therefore numerous strong long waves
follow each other without stopping.

We liked the day in Brunei, but we cannot say that we want to come back here for sure. You can watch it once.