The Istana Bandar is a historical palace in Selangor. It is located in Jugra near Banting, Kuala Langat region, Selangor, Malaysia.

If you are somewhere near Klang or Banting and are keen to see old architecture of buildings, this is one of the place that you should consider going. It used to be the royal capital of Selangor when Sultan Abdul Samad decided to move there and make it his residence in 1875.







History

Bandar Palace Jugra belongs to Sultan Sir Alaeddin Sulaiman Shah, the fifth Sultan of Selangor. He lived here for many years until his death in 1938. His grandson, Sultan Salahuddin Abdul Aziz Shah, who was to be the eight Sultan of Selangor, was born in the palace in 1926.

Today, the palace is a historical gallery and site - open for visit to public, with no entrance fees.







The double-storey structure has many rooms, including a royal bath (Kolam Mandi Diraja), throne room (Balai Rong Seri), banquet room (Kamar Santap Diraja), bedrooms (Kamar Beradu), audience halls (Balai Mengadap), verandah (Sotoh), kitchen (Dapur) and a “forbidden garden” (Taman Larangan).

In fact, Istana Bandar is one of the most astonishing palaces in the country. It is also one of the oldest Malay palaces that still retains its original design.

Visitors can spend hours marvelling at the intricate woodwork of the palace through these different rooms. It’s easy to be enthralled by the beauty of the place once you walk into the grounds of the palace.









Also known as Istana Alaeddin or Alaeddin Palace, the building was constructed using high-quality cengal timber and marble. Its design is largely Islamic, mainly of Indian and Middle-Eastern origin. There is also some Chinese influence (the roof’s carved fascia board and sisik naga or dragon fin), as craftsmen from China were involved in the palace’s construction.

Roam around the various chambers in the two-storey building and check out its interiors for a sense of how the Selangor royalty lived in the past. The fact that Istana Bandar is situated on a 5ha land means that there’s plenty to explore.









Bandar Palace Jugra fell into disuse after independence, when the administrative center of the state was moved to Kuala Lumpur. It was later used as a craft center and a center for studying the Quran, the central religious text of Islam.





It is usually visited together with Bukit Jugra, Makam Diraja Sultan Abdul Samad (Royal Mausoleum) and the yellow-coloured Masjid Sultan Alaeddin, which is located next door.

Bukit Jugra