Royal Town, Kuala Kangsar
Famous for its traditional Malay pottery & crafts, regal palaces and buildings with architectural interest, the Royal Town of Kuala Kangsar is a little city with a bigger cultural heart. Get an authentic taste of original handmade laksa and differentiate between the taste of laksa telur sarang. Telur sarang is a crispy egg yolk omelette which resembles a nest.
Masjid Ubudiah
Delve into the history of Istana Kayangan (Palace of Dreams) and be amazed by its architectural grandeur of Malay craftsmanship, which the wooden structure was erected without nails, resembles a sword in its sheath. With diamond-shaped plaits motif on the wall and the roof design resemblance to Siamese traditional house, Istana Kenangan was finally built in 1931 after a big flood hit Perak around 1926.
Istana Kenangan was previously known as Istana Kuning, Istana Lembah and Istana Tepas. But only after 1960, it was turned into heritage building by Malaysian’s first Prime Minister, Tunku Abdul Rahman and renamed as Istana Kenangan. Throughout history, the site has served as a temporary palace resided by Sultan Iskandar Shah while waiting for the completion of the current royal palace, Istana Iskandariah. In 1988, Istana Kenangan opened as Perak Royal Museum.
Embark on the journey of discovery through Perak Sultanate history as you walk through this majestic gallery with a combination of Moorish, Renaissance and neo-classical architecture. Formerly known as Istana Hulu and Istana Kota, the gallery focuses on the history of 34th Perak Sultan, Sultan Azlan Shah – the only ruler becoming Lord President of the Federal Court – the highest judicial position in Malaysia.
Highlights include fascinating personal exhibits of Sultan Azlan Shah including his luxury vehicles, clothing, shoes, bags and even sunglasses. However, this gallery is temporarily closed for maintenance.
Discover beautiful pieces of traditional gold thread hand-embroidery at Kampung Padang Changkat in Bukit Chandan that are still alive, thanks to the continuous commercial demand. Hajjah Azizah is an accredited master of embroidery crafts since 1995, where she inherited the skills from her mother. And now, even her daughters have started to continue her legacy and becoming hand embroidery artisans.
The gold thread embroidery technique requires full dedication to weave on velvet cushions, bedsheets, pillowcase, jewellery boxes and wedding embroidery selection. And therefore, it is more expensive compared to the machine or computer embroidery design. One of the best Hajjah Azizah’s masterpiece is the embroidered shoes produced in collaboration with international Malaysian fashion designer, Datuk Jimmy Choo.