The five-sided porch
The royal ceremonial balcony.
Muhamad Fadhli Ahmad — CC BY-SA 4.0 · Comelote — CC BY-SA 4.0 · yeowatzup — CC BY 2.0
An elegant nineteenth-century timber palace in the heart of Kota Bharu's old royal quarter, built in 1855 by Sultan Muhammad II of Kelantan for his grandson and named after a jahar tree that grew in its grounds. It is known for its five-sided entrance porch, topped by a balcony from which the royal family watched the ceremonies held in front of the palace, and for its fine carved woodwork. Today the palace houses the Museum of Royal Traditions and Customs of Kelantan, which presents court ceremony and life-cycle rituals from birth to marriage with costumed figures, alongside textiles such as songket, jewellery, weapons and pieces of old royal regalia. A ticket for foreigners is about four ringgit; it opens from half past eight in the morning to a quarter to five, closing earlier on Thursdays and all day on Fridays, as Kelantan's weekend falls on Friday and Saturday. It stands in the cultural zone around Padang Merdeka, a few steps from the Istana Batu Royal Museum, the Islamic Museum, the War Museum and the Muhammadi Mosque, so see them all in one morning.
The royal ceremonial balcony.
From birth to marriage.
Fine Kelantanese woodwork.
The cultural zone around Padang Merdeka, central Kota Bharu
Istana Batu Royal MuseumAn elegant yellow palace built in 1939 under Sultan Ismail as a wedding gift for1 minute walk
Muhammadi Mosque (State Mosque)Kelantan's state mosque and the most venerable mosque in Kota Bharu, first built1 minute walk
Kelantan Islamic MuseumA small museum in a two-storey timber building shaped like a mosque, its walls a1 minute walk
War Museum (Bank Kerapu)A stone building put up in 1912 for Kelantan's first bank, the Mercantile Bank o2 minutes walk
Siti Khadijah MarketKota Bharu's central market and the best-known market on the east coast, in an o4 minutes walkBecause Kelantan's weekend falls on Friday and Saturday, most of the state's museums close on Fridays. Plan your visit to the royal quarter on another day of the week.