Brunei's interesting national museum has an Islamic art gallery, exhibits depicting Brunei's role in Southeast Asian history from the arrival of the Spanish and Portuguese in the 16th century to the modern day, and a natural-history gallery. It is situated 4.5km east of central BSB at Kota Batu. At the time of research the museum was closed for ongoing renovations.
The oldest pieces here are ceramics from Iran and Central Asia and blown glass from Egypt and the Levant dating from the 9th and 10th centuries, as well as manuscripts of the Quran, tiny Qurans the size of a matchbox and gold jewellery. Don't miss the collection of Brunei's famous ceremonial cannons, known as bedil, some with barrels shaped like dragon heads. It wasn't oil but these bronze-cast weapons that were once the source of the sultanate's wealth and power.
Close to the museum, the Taman Arkeologi Kota Batu preserves the stone ruins of the 14th- to 15th-century capital of Brunei.
