Perak State Museum 1 Jun 2016

After our visit from Bukit Larut, we went to visit the Perak State Museum. This was the only place of attractions which we did no manage to go during our last visit at the year of 2009.

This museum is the oldest museum in Peninsular Malaysia. It is located in the town of Taiping, about 85 km from Ipoh, the capital of Perak. It is also near the Taiping Jail and about 3 km from town.

Most of the museum’s earlier collections are ethnological and anthropological items. Geological, botanical and enthamobological collections make up additional specimens.

The Perak Museum is rich in ethnological, historical, archaeological and ethamobological collections. Some of them are classified as rare collections over a hundred years old such as animal species like the "binturong" and "pulasan", skeletons and scores of animal skeletons and smoked clay which are either extinct or extremely hard to find.

Most of these collections and artifacts are displayed in the museum’s four main galleries housed in an almost 120-year old building. It was built in 1883 and maintains an ancient British architectural concept of the Art Dico kind.

The Nature Gallery exhibits all kinds of animal, bird, fish, snail and herberium species, all of which are housed in unique exhibition cases aged over a hundred years old.

They are also placed in various kinds of dioramas which records a British-style presentation method while retaining a wild habitat environment that is both interesting and full of great ecstatic elements.

The Cultural Gallery displays collections and artifacts from various types of handiworks, handicrafts and weavings of the Malaysian people, especially from Perak, such as a unique weaving made by the Sultan of Perak’s mother.

Weavings of the "tudung saji" (food cover), "tikar pandan dan mengkuang" (pandan and mengkuang mats) as well as baskets reflect the artistic finesse in these handiworks. They are also unique, fascinating and full of ecstatic values that are increasingly hard to find this decade.

The Clay and Indigenous People Gallery is an abundant source of collections and artifacts.

Perak is one of the states which is home to a lot of indigenous people from the Proto Malay, Senoi and Negrito tribes. The Indigenous People Gallery in this museum is a window to displaying the great handiworks skills of the aforementioned tribes.

Of note is their astonishing display of creating clothes from wood pulp, their traditional musical instruments as well as their great sculptures and crafting arts such as mannequins and masks, adapted countless times in medical and magical ceremonies.

Clay works displayed by the museum are traditional industrial products such as "labu", "geluk", "belanga", "pasu bucung", "buyung", "kukusan" and "perasapan" all of which are well over 100 years old.

The museum also organizes moving exhibitions, especially to schools around the Taiping township and nearby towns, usually upon request by schools who are interested. Among presented topics are Glorious Taiping and The Perak Sultanate.

Currently the museum is having exhibition of Weights and Measures at their main hall. Varieties of measuring tools and weighting tools are displayed here.

In the grounds of the Museum there are a number of vintage cars on display.

Namely, a Rolls Royce Silver Cloud 1964, Rolls Royce Phantom 1972, Alvis TD21 Tourer 1960, and a more classic model made by the Star Motor Company in Wolverhampton, probably dating from the late 1920s.

There is also an Outdoor Exhibits outside the building.

It is include a carriage of the Perak State Railway Company, a 19th century steam engine used to power high pressure hoses in open cast tin mining operations, a Malaysian air force jet fighter and an old anchor reclaimed from the Straits of Malacca.

The weather was so hot and we left the museum. Not far away from there, is the Taiping Jail just across the road.