Attractions around Bukit Chandan

 "The biggest difference between money and time: You always know how much money you have but you never know how much time you have..."

(Kawasan Istana)

After visiting Masjid Ubudiah at Bukit Chandan, we detoured and visited several attractions around the area.

1. Baitul Anor

Baitul Anor is an uninhabited house located on Jalan Istana at Bukit Chandan in Kuala Kangsar. Baitul Anor was built by the master craftsman and builder Tuan Haji Sofian, sometimes referred to as Tukang Sofian, under the instructions of Raja Kechil Sulong Harun Al Rashid for his third wife, Raja Mentera binti Raja Sir Chulan.

Baitul Anor was named after Raja Anor Shah, the eldest son of Raja Harun Al Rashid and Raja Mentera.

 

(A brief detour)

(Masjid Ubudiah in the background)

2. Royal Museum of Perak

The Istana Kenangan was a royal residence built in 1926 for Sultan Iskandar Shah by the Malay carpenter Enci Sepian from Bukit Mertajam, with the assistance of his sons Zainal Abidin and Ismail. The palace was previously known as the Valley Palace due to its location. The palace had been the official residence between 1931 and 1933. However, upon completion of Istana Iskandariah, the Istana Kenangan was used to host royal receptions and where the palace guests stayed. It today houses the Royal Museum of Perak.

It is two storeys high with the top floor consisting of the bedchamber, family bedrooms and a dining hall. The ground floor was once used as the official royal office where its original floor was made out of solid wood. The wooden floor however had been replaced by marble.

(The Istana Kenangan)

(The Royal Museum of Perak)

 
3. Istana Iskandariah

Iskandariah Palace is the royal palace of the Perak Sultanate and the official residence of the Sultan of Perak since its completion in 1933. It is located in the royal town of Kuala Kangsar, Perak. All the Sultans of Perak have been installed in the palace since its completion. The palace is named after Sultan Iskandar Shah Ibni Almarhum Sultan Idris Murshidul Azzam Shah I Rahmatullah (1918 - 1938) who initiated its construction.

The design of the palace combines colonial European architecture with the pointed arches and onion-shaped domes of the Middle East and Central Asia. The building is rectangular in shape and faces the sunrise and the river. The roof is designed with one main dome in the centre and four subsidiary domes, one on each of the palace.

(The entrance to the royal palace)

(Onion-shaped domes of the palace)