Kelantan Islamic Museum, Islamic cultural museum in Kota Bharu, Malaysia
The Kelantan Islamic Museum is an institution in Kota Bharu dedicated to the Islamic heritage of the region, housed in a two-story wooden building decorated with Islamic calligraphy and Quranic verses throughout its structure. The collection includes manuscripts, artifacts, and documents that record the deep connection this region has maintained with Islamic faith and knowledge.
The building originally served as a residence for Chief Minister Hassan Mohd Salleh before being converted into a museum in the early 1990s. Its opening by Sultan Ismail Petra marked the start of its role as a public institution for preserving the region's Islamic knowledge.
The building housed the Kelantan Islamic Council and Malay costumes from 1917 to 1990, and that period is part of what the displays cover. Exhibits of artifacts and inscription documents trace the arrival and growth of Islam in Kelantan. The upper floor holds a library rather than exhibits.
The museum occupies the lower floor of the two-story wooden building, with the library on the upper floor, so visitors should allow time for both levels. The structure stands in Kota Bharu, Kelantan, and resembles a mosque in form. Look for the Quranic calligraphy embedded in the woodwork of the building itself, not only in the display cases.
The building was erected in wood and its walls carry Islamic calligraphy of Quranic verses, and its outline recalls a mosque rather than a residence. Before 1990 it housed the Kelantan Islamic Council and a Malay costumes collection; the museum opened on 11 November 1991, inaugurated by Sultan Ismail Petra.
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