Brunei Darussalam Maritime Museum

The maritime museum at Kota Batu is built around the wreck of a trading vessel that sank off Brunei in the fifteenth century and was found in 1997, its cargo of Chinese ceramics, glass, ironwork and Thai and Vietnamese wares recovered largely intact. The display sets it in the context of the sultanate's trade at its height and covers Brunei's boatbuilding and river traffic alongside. The wreck is usually referred to as the Brunei Shipwreck and remains one of the more significant finds of its period in Southeast Asian waters.

What you actually see

• The wreck cargo - Chinese ceramics, glass and Southeast Asian wares recovered intact.
• The 1997 discovery - the finding of a fifteenth-century trading vessel offshore.
• The trade context - the sultanate's reach at the time the ship sank.
• The boatbuilding section - Brunei's own craft and river traffic.

When to go

Year round. The museum keeps set hours and closes on some days, including Friday middays. Air conditioning makes it a good midday stop.

Honest expectations

The museum is small and an hour or two covers it. Some labelling is in Malay only. Opening hours are restricted and worth confirming.

Nearby

Kota Batu is beside it, and the Malay Technology Museum is nearby.