NESTLED on the crook of the Perak River, Kuala Kangsar – home to generations of Sultans and their families – is much more than just a serene little town.

There are endless stories to tell about this royal town with its roots firmly steeped in age-old traditions and history, each unique and special.

To start with, there is the Perak Royal Museum on Bukit Chandan.

Built in 1926 by master craftsmen from Prai in Penang, the museum offers an insight into the rulers of Perak through its showcase of royal and traditional regalia and photographs of the royal family.

The public can visit the museum without any charge. However, renovation is in progress until next year.

A true representation of traditional Malay architecture, this unusual building, which is shaped like a sword in its scabbard, was not always a museum but a palace.

The Perak Royal Museum, once the abode of a Ruler,beautifully reflects the finest of traditional Malay architecture.

Istana Kenangan, as it was originally known, was completed in 1931 as the temporary residence of Sultan Iskandar Shah, the 30th Perak Sultan who ruled between 1918 and 1938, while the original royal palace nearby was being torn down for the construction of a new palace called Istana Iskandariah.

What is most intriguing about Istana Kenangan, also known as Istana Lembah or Istana Tepas, is that it was built without a blueprint or a single nail.

The entire building is painted in the three official colours of the Perak flag representing the three branches of the royal family - white, yellow and black.

According to resident Hassan Abdul Manaf, the palace walls are made of woven sliced bertam or bamboo with diamond shaped motifs.

"The entire palace is built from the most solid and expensive wood while the roof is made of kayu berlian which is waterproof."

"Another unique thing about this palace is that the doors at the top of its stairs are set horizontal on the same level as its floor, rather than vertical."

"This was perhaps done for safety reasons as it was much harder to force open a door upwards, and to save space," said Hassan, 51, in admiration of the palace.

A short distance from this former palace is Istana Iskandariah, which remains as the official palace till today.

Painted a pristine cream and white with regal golden domes, the palace is sprawled over a large gated compound with the canopy of huge rain trees shading its beautifully landscaped grounds.

In 1984, a banquet hall and another ceremonial function hall was added on to the imposing palace of typical Moorish design.

Although the palace is not accessible to the public, a replica of its ceremonial function hall or better known as the Balai Rong Seri can be viewed at the Sultan Azlan Shah Gallery.

The gallery, officiated by Sultan Azlan Shah on the 48th anniversary of his marriage to Raja Permaisuri Tuanku Bainun on Dec 9, 2003, houses collections under 13 categories.

They include personal items like the Sultan's birth certificate, old identity cards, driving licences, marriage certificate, Royal Ipoh Club membership card, certificates acknowledging his Hole-In-One feats and court notes of his first case presiding as a magistrate in 1958.

Items belonging to the royal couple as the Yang di-Pertuan Agong and Permaisuri Agong, and as ruling couple of the state include the royal aigrette which was designed by the Sultan's great-grandfather Sultan Idris Murshidul'Adzam Shah I in 1911, honorary awards and medals, official attire, keris and swords, and a fleet of Rolls Royce.

There are also many rare and astounding items, which were given to the couple as gifts by heads of state around the world. A giant fungus measuring 1.37m in diameter and 0.58m high is the biggest piece of fungus found in Malaysia. There are also stone tools from 74,000 years ago that were discovered along with the Perak Man in Gua Harimau, Lenggong.

Other exhibits include an oyster shell with partly formed pearls, a model of the Al-Aqsa Mosque in Jordan made of mother of pearl and a model of the world's first ancient bronze seismograph invented by famous Chinese scholar Zheng He in 132AD.

Hence, it is easy to lose track of time when walking though the chambers of the gallery and a couple of hours is simply insufficient to fully appreciate the life history of the Sultan.

Gallery manager Nor Janati Ibrahim said the gallery was the brainchild of the Sultan himself.

"The collections at the gallery offer an insight into every facet of the Sultan's life and allows his subjects to know him better," she said.

The gallery, formerly known as Istana Hulu and also Istana Kota, was built in 1903 during the reign of Sultan Idris I and served as the royal residence until 1954.

"Conservation work was carried out between 2002 and 2003," said Nor Janati, adding that the palace's original façade, roof tiles, arches, and a royal bathroom were preserved.

Adjacent to the gallery is the Ubudiah Mosque, one of the most famous and photographed mosques in Malaysia.

Also built by Sultan Idris I, this 88-year-old mosque with its golden domes and minarets is a towering symbol of the Muslim faith.

In the middle of Kuala Kangsar town stands a magnificent Greco-Roman styled building, which is known as ‘Eton of the East' and hailed the ‘King of schools and school of Kings'.

It was here at the Malay College Kuala Kangsar that the country's rulers - the first Yang di-Pertuan Agong Tuanku Abdul Rahman of Negri Sembilan, his son Tuanku Ja'afar (10th King), Sultan Ahmad Shah of Pahang (seventh King), Sultan Azlan Shah of Perak (ninth King) and Sultan Salahuddin Abdul Aziz Shah of Selangor (11th King) - were educated.

Other prominent figures like the first president of Umno, Datuk Onn Jaafar and former prime ministers Tunku Abdul Rahman and Tun Abdul Razak were also old boys.

Set up on Jan 2, 1905, the school was originally named the Malay Residential School and later renamed Malay College Kuala Kangsar.

The idea to have an exclusive college to educate and groom the sons of the Malay elite was mooted by none other than Sultan Idris I.

Being the forerunner of Malaysia's famous rubber industry, it is no wonder the first rubber tree that was planted in the country stands in this town.

Of the first nine rubber trees planted with seeds from the Kew Gardens in London brought by first Perak Resident Sir Hugh Low in 1877, only one still stands next to the Kuala Kangsar Municipal Council building.

The tour of this royal town does not stop here with so many other old buildings worth visiting like the Pavillion Square Tower, Clifford School and the Victoria Bridge. Food stalls at Dataran Sungai Perak offer famous local delicacies like gulai tempoyak ikan patin, laksa kuala and grilled fish.

For a glimpse of the local heritage, spare some time for Abdul Mazin Abdul Jamil, surely one of the last craftsmen who still makes the keris the traditional way in Kuala Kangsar.

His Pandai Besi workshop is at Kam-pung Padang Changkat on Bukit Chandan.

Sayong, about 10km away across the Iskandar Bridge from Kuala Kangsar, is home to the labu sayong or earthen water pitcher.

Makers of the labu sayong, be it those who adopt the traditional way of moulding with hands or using casts to set in, are aplenty at Kam-pung Kepala Bendang where this particular type of water pitcher originated.

Kuala Kangsar is about 30 minutes drive from Ipoh on the North-South Expressway. It is also accessible by the old trunk road, passing through Chemor and Sungai Siput, from Ipoh.

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