Brunei Downtown

[Stefanie Mordaunt]

Thehistory of Bandar Seri Begawan can be traced back to the establishment of a Malay stilt settlement on the waters of the Brunei River which became the predecessor of Kampong Ayer today. It became the capital of the Bruneian Sultanate from the 16th century onwards, as well as in the 19th century when it became a British protectorate. The establishment of a British Residency in the 20th century saw the establishment of modern-day administration on land, as well as the gradual resettlement of the riverine dwellers to the land. During World War II, the capital was occupied by the Japanese forces from 1941 and bombed in 1945 upon liberation by Allied forces. Brunei's independence from the British was declared on 1 January 1984 on a square in the city centre.

Bandar Seri Begawan is home to Istana Nurul Iman, the largest residential palace in the world by the Guinness World Records,[4] and Omar Ali Saifuddien Mosque, Brunei's iconic landmark. It is also home to Kampong Ayer, the largest 'water village' in the world and nicknamed Venice of the East.[5] It was once the host city of the 20th Southeast Asian Games in 1999 and 8th APEC Summit in 2000.

The word "Begawan" was also used for Bruneian monarchs who have abdicated, the word originally coming from the Sanskrit word for "god": भगवन bhagavān. Beside that, Seri Begawan was known as "blessed one" in Sanskrit. Seri comes from the honorific Sanskrit word Sri, and Bandar comes from Persian via Indian languages and originally meant "harbour" or "port" or "haven". In Malay, bandar is known as a "town" or a "city".

It was named after Sultan Omar Ali Saifuddien III, the 28th Sultan of Brunei and the father of the current Sultan, Hassanal Bolkiah.[6] Seri Begawan is part of the royal title bestowed on the late sultan upon his abdication from the throne in 1967.[6][7] The city was renamed on 4 October 1970 to commemorate his contribution to the modernisation of the country during his reign in the 20th century.[8][9] Prior to this, the city had been known as Brunei Town or Bandar Brunei in Malay (literally "Brunei City").[10][11] It is the only urban centre in the country which has the title bandar ('city') in its official native name.[citation needed]

The capital is colloquially known by the locals as simply Bandar, meaning 'The City'.[citation needed] However, the name may not necessarily refer to the same area as encompassed by the city's official boundary. It may only refer to the city centre of the capital.[citation needed] Its reference may also extend beyond the official boundary, that is referring to the urbanised areas on the outskirts and even the entire Brunei-Muara District, which is more common among residents who live outside of the district.[citation needed]

Human settlement in Brunei can be traced back to the sixth and seventh century with a Malay trading centre and fishing port near the current site of the city.[7] The first settlement on the banks of the Brunei River can be traced to the eighth century where there had been settlements similar to those in Kampong Ayer, near the present site of the Brunei Museum with the modern city on the opposite shore.[12]

From 1888 until its independence in 1984, Brunei was a British protectorate and land development began in 1906 when the British resident encouraged the Sultanate citizens to move onto reclaimed land on the western bank of the inlet.[16] In 1899, first oil well was drilled at Ayer Bekunchi near Kampung Kasat, Bandar Seri Begawan. Although the well was drilled to a depth of 259 metres (850 feet), no oil was found. Oil exploration in Brunei later shifted to Seria and Belait District in 1924.[17][18][19] Sultan Muhammad Jamalul Alam II established a new palace on the west bank in 1909 after being persuaded by the British,[10] along with the arrival of Chinese traders to boost the economy. A mosque and government buildings were built along the western shores in 1920.[7] In the same year, the new settlement was declared the new capital of Brunei and became a municipal area.[16]

However, the city's prosperity was almost ended when it was captured by the Japanese in 1941, before being recaptured by the Allied forces in 1945. During the war, most infrastructure was destroyed by Japanese and Allied bombing.[20] The British began reconstructing most of their possessions in Borneo at the end of 1945 with the restoration of law and order and the reopening of schools.[20]

The city is administered by the Bandar Seri Begawan Municipal Board within Bandar Seri Begawan Municipal Department, a government department within the Ministry of Home Affairs. The Municipal Board was established in 1921, originally as a Sanitary Board (Lembaga Kebersihan) which was, and is still, responsible for maintaining the cleanliness to the then Brunei Town.[21] It achieved the status of bandaran (municipality) in 1935 with the conversion of the Sanitary Board into the current Municipal Board (Lembaga Bandaran).[21] Bandar Seri Begawan is de facto a city but it is officially a municipality, thus has the same status as the towns of Tutong, Kuala Belait and Seria.

The city is located in Brunei-Muara District, the smallest yet the most populous district in the country,[22] and as of 1 August 2007, the municipal area has been expanded from 12.87 square kilometres (4.97 sq mi) to 100.36 square kilometres (38.75 sq mi). The area overlaps with several of the district's mukims and villages, which include:[23][24]

The mukims of Burong Pingai Ayer, Peramu, Saba, Sungai Kebun, Sungai Kedayan and Tamoi, as well as their constituent villages, make up the district of Kampong Ayer, the traditional stilted settlement on the Brunei River in the capital.

Bandar Seri Begawan is the capital city of Brunei and the seat of the Brunei Government. It houses Istana Nurul Iman, whereby aside from the residential palace of Hassanal Bolkiah, the current Sultan of Brunei, it is also a seat of the Prime Minister's Office, in which the Prime Minister is also the Sultan himself. The Prime Minister's Office also has a second seat within the capital, that is located at Jalan Perdana Menteri.[26] Bandar Seri Begawan also houses the headquarters of all government ministries and most departments and agencies.

Brunei has an equatorial, tropical rainforest climate more subject to the Intertropical Convergence Zone than to the trade winds and rare cyclones. The climate is hot and wet.[27] The city sees heavy precipitation throughout the year, with the northeast monsoon blowing from December to March and the southeast monsoon from around June to October.[28] The wettest day on record is 9 July 2020, when 662.0 millimetres (26.06 in) of rainfall was reported at the airport.

The Bruneian Census 2011 Report estimated the population of Bandar Seri Begawan to be approximately 20,000, while the metropolitan area has around 279,924.[31][32] The majority of Bruneians are Malays, with Chinese being the most significant minority group.[32] Aboriginal groups such as the Bisaya, Belait, Dusun, Kedayan, Lun Bawang, Murut, and Tutong also exist. They are classified as part of the Malay ethnic groups and have been given the Bumiputera privileges.[31] Large numbers of foreign workers are also found within Brunei and the capital city, with the majority being from Malaysia, Thailand, the Philippines, Indonesia (mostly Betawi, Batak, Ambon, Minahasa, Aceh, Malay and Minangkabau), and the Indian subcontinent.[33][34]

Located in Jalan Kianggeh, the Lapau (Royal Ceremonial Hall) is used for royal traditional ceremonies. It was here that the sultan Hassanal Bolkiah was crowned on 1 August 1968. The interior of the Lapau and sultan's throne are decorated in exquisite gold. Within the precincts of the Lapau is the Dewan Majlis where the legislative assembly used to sit. Official permission is required by visitors to enter this building. With the completion of the new legislative council building in Jalan Mabohai, the Lapau will soon become a symbol of the sultanate's constitutional history.

A legendary figure who was chased away from Kampong Ayer for committing adultery. Adultery was a taboo in Bruneian society. She died in what we know today as Pusat Bandar (Central City). However some sources[who?] say that she was a Queen of Brunei.

Istana Darussalam[c] is a former royal residence of Sultan Omar Ali Saifuddien III, as well as the birthplace of Sultan Hassanal Bolkiah.[37] It was built in the 1940s and located at Sumbiling Lama, an area on the banks of Kedayan River near the city centre.[37] The building is made of wood and styled in traditional Malay stilt house. It has been designated as a protected monument under the Antiquities and Treasure Trove Act.[38] The palace has also been designated as a tourist attraction,[38] although the compound within the gate and the building is not open to the public.[citation needed] The road that leads to the palace has been named after it.[d][37]

The Pulau Chermin Royal Cemetery (Malay: Makam Diraja Pulau Chermin) is a Royal burial ground located at Pulau Cermin, one of the islands on the Brunei River. The cemetery served as the resting place of Sultan Abdul Hakkul Mubin, the 13th Sultan of Brunei who ruled from 1660 to 1673. He was buried there along with members of his family who also perished during the outbreak of Brunei Civil War in 1660.[39] They were killed there on the island during the final days of the civil war in 1673.[40][41]

The Royal Cemetery is gazetted as one of Brunei National Heritage Site under the Antiquities and Treasure Trove Act, 1967 revised 1984, 1990 and 2002, preserved by the Brunei Museums Department and protected by the government of Brunei Darussalam.[42]

The Luba Royal Mausoleum (Malay: Makam Di Luba) is a former royal burial ground located at Pulau Luba, Kampong Bunut Perpindahan. The Mausoleum served as the resting place of Sultan Husin Kamaluddin, the 16th Sultan of Brunei who was buried here in 1780. Before his death, Sultan Hussin Kamaluddin used to reside in Pulau Luba, especially after his abdication from the Throne in 1740. He is well known in the history of Brunei as the only sultan who abdicated twice from the throne.[43] Besides the Sultan, members of the royal family were also buried in the compound.[44] The Mausoleum is gazetted as a Brunei National Heritage Site under the Antiquities and Treasure Trove Act, 1967 (revised 1984, 1990 and 2002), preserved by the Brunei Museums Department and Brunei History Department and protected by the government of Brunei Darussalam.[42]

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