Heritages In A Heritage Itself

Salam and greeting.

It is no secret that Taiping is known as the Heritage Town. And a visit to this town would not be complete if there are no stopovers being made to the heritage structures available. However if the visiting time to Taiping is limited, there should be one heritage structure that should not be missed.




Generally known as Perak Museum, the building is being recognized as one of Taiping's invaluable heritage structure that still stands proudly till today. The original idea of having a museum was uttered by Sir Hugh Low who was the British Resident of Perak in 1883. The construction of the building took three years to be completed and when opened in 1886, the Perak Museum became the first museum in Malaysia's history.




With an English and Moorish influence in its design, Sir Hugh Low's idea of having a museum was to host historical materials, cultural artifacts, zoological specimens and herbarium of items from around Perak during his tenure as the British Resident. Thus in making his idea a successful one, he had appointed Mr. Leonard Wray Jr. as the museum's first curator. And as a botanist and geologist, Mr. Wray did a splendid job in making the museum a success.






Presently the museum is divided into several sections for the ease of its visitors. On the outside compound are the exhibits of transportation mode used locally. There is also a noticeable bronze statue of Colonel R.S.F Walker, considered one of the important characters in the early history of Taiping during the British Administration era.



The ground floor of the museum is divided into the three sections. The first section is the main hall which is just beyond the entrance where there is a display of the Malay Sultanate Throne replica. The second hall exhibits the zoological specimens from the jungles of Perak. The third section on the ground floor shows artifacts depicting the variety cultures and traditions of the people from Perak. While on the first floor, there are exhibits of artifacts belonging to the variety clans of Orang Asli that is available throughout Perak.





And indeed the Perak Museum is full of heritages in a heritage itself.