Istana Ampang Tinggi
Built without nails and moved piece by piece.
Zahirul Nukman — CC BY 4.0 · Gombang — CC BY-SA 3.0 · Zahirulnukman — CC BY-SA 3.0 · Ardzun — CC BY-SA 4.0
The Negeri Sembilan State Museum complex, also known as the Arts and Culture Park, gathers in one garden the finest examples of the Minangkabau architecture that sets this state apart: an exhibition building whose curved roofs rise at the ends like buffalo horns, traditional timber houses, and an old royal palace moved here piece by piece. The jewel of the complex is Istana Ampang Tinggi, built between 1865 and 1870 by the state's fifth ruler for his daughter on her marriage, on a ridge above the rice fields near Seri Menanti, without a single nail. In 1953 the palace was dismantled and moved to its present site, and it is now a small museum of weapons and historic objects. The exhibition building has galleries on the state's history and customs, above all Adat Perpatih, the matrilineal custom under which land and houses pass down through the mother, alongside traditional weapons and an old cannon in the grounds. A foreign adult ticket is ten ringgit and covers the galleries, the palace and the model house; it opens from nine to half past four, Tuesday to Sunday. It sits near the Seremban exit of the expressway, so it makes a handy first stop if you are coming from Kuala Lumpur, and an hour covers the whole complex. Expect to take your shoes off before climbing into the wooden houses.
Built without nails and moved piece by piece.
Curved tips like buffalo horns.
Custom passed down the mother's line.
Jalan Sungai Ujong, near the Seremban exit of the North–South Expressway
One ticket covers the exhibition galleries, Istana Ampang Tinggi and the model Negeri Sembilan house. Entry is free for children under six, visitors over sixty and people with disabilities.