Don’t miss the following museums during your stay in Kuching:
South of the Sarawak River, in Kuching proper
Sarawak Museum Jin Tung Abang Haji Openg Open daily, 9 am – 5:30 pm GPS N01°33.309’ E110°20.614’ The Sarawak Museum complex actually encompasses two wings covered by a footbridge. The eastern Victorian buildings were originally built in 1891. The museum, which contains art, ethnology, and natural history exhibits, is under transformation, and its functions will ultimately be set into these discrete areas. The strongest element of the collection is the tribal arts exhibition, which includes carvings, basketry, and tattoo implements. One heartstopping exhibit concerns the contents of the stomach of the infamous Bujang Samarahan man-eating crocodile. Here you’ll see the 9 inch diameter hairball attached to a dental plate, and the wristwatch of victim Abang Saperi, which, according to the accompanying newspaper clipping, “stopped ticking at 3:45 on the 28th.”
Across the road via the very pretty overhead footbridge is the former sate assembly hall, which now houses rotating exhibits, a café, and store. The Islamic Museum is just a few short steps away.
Islamic Museum of Sarawak Jin P. Ramlee street Open daily, 9 am – 5:30 pm GPS N01°33.316’ E110°20.477’ Housed in the beautiful old Maderash Malayu structure erected in 1930, the exhibits in this museum are must-sees. Of particular interest are the exhibits on decorative arts, and ancient weaponry.
Chinese History Museum Waterfront, opposite Tua Pek Kong Temple Open daily, 9 am – 5:30 pm GPS N01°33.476’ E110°20.930’ Here, get to know the history of the Chinese community in Kuching, in furniture, decorative arts, and musical instruments. Hakka, Cantonese, Chao Ann, Teo Chew, Hainan, Henghua, Luichew, and Foochow communities are described.
Textile Museum Jin Tun Haji Abanag Openg, opposite Post Office Open 9 am – 6 pm This very nice musem contains fine examples of traditional textiles (including Iban pua kumbu and Malay kain songket weavings), dress, and jewelry GPS N01°33.519’ E110°20.697’
Pua Kumbu Museum 4th Floor, Tun Jugah Tower (across from Holiday Inn) 18 Jalan Tunku Abdul Rahman Tel: 082-239-672 Open Monday through Friday, 9 am – 12 pm, 1pm – 4:30 pm Open daily, 9 am – 5:30 pm www.tunjugahfoundation.org.my GPS N01°33.458’ E110°21.215’ Here, Datin Amar Margaret Linggi and Datuk Amar Leonard Linggi Jugah have put together one of Asia’s finest small museums, primarily comprising their family collections of Iban textiles (pus kumbu) and jewelry, and Chinese ceramics. The museum is laid out well, signage is good, and the museum serves as an exemplary realization of how a private collection can be viewed by the public, while remaining in the hands of its owners.
North of the Sarawak River in the Putra Jaya area of Kuching
Kraftangan Malaysia Sarawak (Perbadnan Kemajuan Kraftangan Malaysia Cawangan Sarawak) Lot 3057, Blok 18, Daerah Salak, Jalan Stadium, Petra Jaya, Peti Surat 2720, Kuching, Sarawak Tel: 082-444-205 Open: Monday through Friday, 8 am to 5 pm GPS: N01°35.603’ E110°l21.433’ Sarawak has the richly-deserved reputation as being the crafts center of Malaysia, and here, at the Federal government’s museum, gallery, workshop, incubator, and R& D lab, you can see these processes up close & personal. If you’re fortunate, friendly Customer Relations officer Gracy Augustine will give you a fascinating guided tour to the intricacies of Sarawak’s batik, embroidery, weaving, ceramics, woodcarving, and basketry. Although some crafts developed here are sold on premises, it’s really a working museum that’s a showcase for the country’s One District One Industry initiative, which supports villages with a particular crafts expertise, and assists them in exporting to Peninsular Malaysia as well as overseas. In particular, resident batik guru Tony Rantai’s textiles represent an exceptional form of the art, and are not to be missed. Well worth a visit!
Timber Museum (Muzium Perkayuan Pusaka) Wismer Sumber Alam Building, ground floor Open: Monday through Thursday, 8:30 am – 12:45 am, 2 pm – 4:15 pm; Friday 8:30 am – 11:30 am, 2:30 pm – 4:30 pm GPS: N01°35.229’ E110°21.258’ To get here, walk from Kraftangan (5 minutes away), or taxi from Kuching Located a few meters east of Kraftangan, this most interesting museum sits on the ground floor of the towering Sarawak Timber Industry Development Corporation building, and details the history of the timber industry in Malaysian Borneo, focusing on conservation and regeneration efforts. Why visit a timber museum, anyway? For starters, it’s been a huge part of Borneo’s history and economy. Some of the more fascinating elements of the museum are the display of old forestry uniforms and implements, a huge diorama with hundreds of scale models, and models of band-saw and circular sawmills. We found the exhibits pertaining to the making of plywood, particle board, and fibreboard to be of particular interest. Also note the well-done displays of wooden house goods found in traditional homes and longhouses.
