Terengganu State Museum

The Terengganu State Museum at Bukit Losong is usually described as the largest museum complex in Malaysia, and it is built as a cluster of blocks raised on posts in the manner of a traditional Malay palace, set in grounds along the river with relocated timber houses, a botanical area and boat sheds holding traditional Terengganu craft. The galleries cover textiles - this being a songket state - crafts, weapons, Islamic art, natural history and petroleum. The object that matters most is the Terengganu Inscription Stone, or a display around it: a stone slab carrying the earliest known Malay text in Jawi script, dated to the fourteenth century, which is the primary evidence for the arrival of Islam and Arabic script in the Malay world and is treated as a national document.

What you actually see

• The Inscription Stone - the earliest known Malay text in Jawi, fourteenth century.
• A palace-form complex - blocks raised on posts in traditional Malay manner.
• Relocated timber houses - old Terengganu buildings re-erected in the grounds.
• Boat sheds - traditional east coast craft under cover by the river.

When to go

All year; check Friday opening, which follows the Terengganu week. Half a day.

Honest expectations

It is very large and some galleries are dated or closed. Captions are uneven in English. The grounds are exposed and hot. Allow more time than a single-building museum.

Nearby

Kuala Terengganu, Pulau Duyong and the Crystal Mosque are close.