On my visit to the Sultanate of Pahang last month to attend the Wedding of Prince Muhammad of Pahang, Tengku Arif Bendahara, the son of the Sultan of Pahang and Tengku Ampuan (Queen) Azizah, I rediscovered Queen Mary’s lost Diamond Lozenge Bandeau, but earlier that day, I had visited the Royal Exhibition at the Muzium Sultan Abu Bakar in Pekan.
The Muzium Sultan Abu Bakar was the former seat of the British Colonial Government before becoming the main Palace of the Sultan between 1965 and 1976, when it was turned into a Museum, being extensively renovated twice in recent decades. I was lucky to have been taken to the Museum by Queen Azizah’s sister, Tunku Mariam, and got an exclusive Tour by the wonderful team at Muzium Pahang.
Upon arrival at the Muzium Sultan Abu Bakar, I was immediately whisked into the display on the current Sultan and Tengku Ampuan of Pahang, which begins with the Proclamation Document of the Sultan in Jawi script, alongside descriptions of the constitutional role of the Sultan, and biographies of the current Royal Family. In the main gallery, there were several of the notable outfits of the Sultan and Tengku Ampuan when they served as the Yang di-Pertuan Agong (King) and Raja Permaisuri Agong of Malaysia, with galleries of images from their lives.
There was also a family tree of the Sultanate of Pahang, as well as the spectacular Opium Throne of one of the previous Sultans of Pahang.
Among the outfits on display were those worn by Tengku Ampuan Azizah for the announcement of the Sultan of Pahang as King of Malaysia, the arrival in Kuala Lumpur and the Departure Ceremony, and the Installation of the Yang di-Pertuan Agong.
The opposite wing of the museum held artifacts, including texts, weapons and coinage, from the history of Pahang, as well as a gallery of key moments of Pahang’s history, which presented a through view of the rich history of the Pahang Sultanate and it’s contemporary role.
On the upper floor of the Museum, there was the striking outfit worn by Queen Azizah to the Coronation of King Charles III last year, which I saw at the Malaysian High Commission in London last year.
There was also a gallery of Royal Regalia also the Insignia of Malay Royal Orders, as well as Foreign Orders received by Sultan Ahmad Shah when he served as the Yang di-Pertuan Agong VII (King of Malaysia) between 1979 and 1984, all leading to a gamelan setup.
The other wing of the upper floor had a display on the current and previous Sultan and Tengku Ampuan of Pahang, which included several notable outfits worn by the Royal Couple.
We were also taken on a tour of another galley, which had artifacts from the different regions of Pahang leading to a display on Tengku Ampuan Azizah’s cookbooks ‘Air Tangan Tengku Puan Pahang’ with traditional recipes from around Pahang.
The visit to Muzium Sultan Abu Bakar ended with a delicious lunch at the Museum Cafe, where I was summoned by Queen Azizah to inspect Queen Mary’s lost Diamond Lozenge Bandeau at the Palace in Kuantan, though that meant we had to forgo a visit to the adjacent Muzium Masjid Sultan Abdullah, which is something to look forward to on my next visit to the Muzium Sultan Abu Bakar.
