Perak Museum, Taiping

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The Perak Museum is the oldest museum in Malaysia. Sir Hugh Low, the British Resident of Perak, had the museum constructed in 1883 to house the artefacts collected in the Kinta Valley and Lenggong Valley. Due to financial constraints, the construction was delayed, and the Perak Museum was only completed three years later, in 1886. The front and back annexes were added in 1889. Another two-storey wing was added to the museum in 1900, to house the expanding cultural exhibits on the Malays and the Orang Aslis, and also to display zoological specimens. Unfortunately, the museum was shut for renovations when I visited in Feb 2009 but normally it exhibits old fighter jets, steam carriages, a statue of Colonel Walker, the stone marking of the site of Maharaja Lela's Fort, ancient stone slab graves from Sungkai and ancient perahus (canoes).

The Perak Museum in Taiping is the oldest museum in Malaysia. Sir Hugh Low, the British Resident of Perak, had the Perak Museum constructed in 1883, to house the artifacts collected in the Kinta Valley and Lenggong Valley. Due to financial constraints, the construction was delayed, and the Perak Museum was only completed three years later, in 1886. The front and back annexes were added in 1889. Another two-storey wing was added to the museum in 1900, to house the expanding cultural exhibits on the Malays and the Orang Asli, and also to display zoological specimens.

The Perak Museum, the oldest in the country, is a fascinating place to visit with its various artifacts and exhibits... The museum was started in 1883 at the suggestion of Sir Hugh Low, the British Resident of Perak, who initially allotted two rooms in a government building for the exhibits... The museum building was completed in 1886... It was previously a museum emphasized more on the nature's flora and fauna... At a later stage, material culture and life of the Malaysian were gradually introduced into the museum... Three impressives collections of some 3,000 artifacts are displayed in the anthropology, zoology and local history sections... These includes collection of ancient weapons, aboriginal implements, ornaments, and archaeological treasures... Also on display are artifacts of Perak's rich historical culture and heritage.

Muzium Perak (the state museum of Perak) is located in Taiping. It is Malaysia's first ever museum established in 1890s during the British colonial rule with a wide veriety of interesting collections.

Other than the Taiping Lake Garden and Taiping Zoo, the Perak Musuem is another of the attractions of Taiping.

The museum grounds had this train. Taiping also had the first train service in Malaysia. These trains were used to carry people and tin to the nearby coast.