Perak Museum

The Perak Museum (Malay: Muzium Perak) is a public museum located at the junction of Jalan Muzium (Museum Road) and Jalan Taming Sari (Main Road) in Taiping, Perak, Malaysia. It is the oldest museum in Malaysia and highlights the history of the state.[1]

Perak Museum
Muzium Perak
Malaysia
Established1883
LocationTaiping, Perak, Malaysia
Coordinates4.860556°N 100.745°E / 4.860556; 100.745

History

The Perak Museum in Taiping is the first and oldest museum in Malaysia. It was founded in 1883 by Sir Hugh Low, the fourth British Resident of Perak (1877 to 1889). It owes its establishment to the fund-raising efforts of Sir Hugh Low and Sir Frank Swettenham, Resident of Perak from 1889–1895, Resident-General of the Federated Malay States (now Malaysia) in 1896–1901, and Governor and Commander-in-Chief of the Straits Settlements 1901–1904.

The museum was initially concerned with natural history particularly ethnography, zoology, botany and geology, all key areas of interest of its founder Sir Hugh Low. Its first curator was Mr. Leonard Wray Jr., a botanist, geologist and Superintendent of Government Hill at Larut (1883 to 1903).

In the beginning, the museum was housed in some renovated government offices while the main building of Neo-classical design was under construction in 1883. The building comprised an office, library and exhibition hall (Gallery A) and was only completed in 1886 due to lack of funds. In 1889, extensions to the museum's front and back were added. A new exhibition hall (Gallery B) was constructed in 1891 to 1893. As the collection of exhibits grew, a new two-storey building (Gallery C and D) were added from 1900 to 1903.[2][3][4][5]

This museum should not to be confused with The Perak Museum in Ipoh erected in 1926 by a rich and successful tin miner called Foo Choong Kit.

See also

References
  1. Lenzi, Iola (2004). Museums of Southeast Asia. Singapore: Archipelago Press. pp. 200 pages. ISBN 981-4068-96-9.
  2. Nature and Nation: Forests and Development in Peninsular Malaysia By Kathirithamby-W, J. Kathirithamby-Wells, Claire Hall, Nordic Institute of Asian Studies Published by NUS Press, 2004; ISBN 9971-69-302-X, ISBN 978-9971-69-302-2
  3. 100 Resorts Malaysia: Places with a Heart By Dominique Grele Published by Asiatype, Inc., 2004; ISBN 971-0321-03-X, ISBN 978-971-0321-03-2
  4. Illustrated Guide To The Federated Malay States, 1923
  5. Mines and Minerals of the British Empire; Being a Description of the Historical, Physical, & Industrial Features of the Principal Centres of Mineral Production in the British Dominions Beyond The Seas By Ralph S. G. Stokes Published by Read Books, 1908; ISBN 1-4086-2839-2, ISBN 978-1-4086-2839-3


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