Jahar Palace

Jahar Palace

Jahar Palace (Istana Jahar) is built by Sultan Muhamad 11 in 1887 for his grandson Long Kundur. It has luxurious woodcarvings that showcase the excellent craftsmanship of the Kelantanese. Apart from that, photographs, artifacts and traditional handicraft reflect on the Kelantan rich and sophisticated heritage.

The palace is now converted to a museum, to share the uniqueness and beauty to the world. There are also a Malay Weapon Gallery which house many unique weapons such as keris and pisau. The museum is open daily from 8.30 am to 5.45 pm except for Fridays. For more handicraft display, you can also visit the Handicraft Village and Craft Museum which is also located within the culture zone.

It has a variety of handicraft, silverwares, songkek and other traditional handicrafts. Demonstration of the making of songkek and batik painting is also available.

However, to truly understand the culture and roots of Kelantanese, Museum Islamic (Muzium Islam / Dewan Syurga) is a must visit museum. From there you will be able to see many artifacts and understand how Islam came to Kelantan, and till today, have such strong influence in their daily life.

Getting There

Jahar Palace (Istana Jahar) is located at the cultural zone and easily reaches by accessing from Jalan Hilir Kota and Jalan Sultan.

From Kota Bahru Airport, get a cab to the cultural zone and it will take about 30-40 minutes depends on the traffic, and it will cost about RM30-50. Most of the museums are located within the cultural zone, so after arrives the cultural zone, short walk will be the best options.