The Astana, Sarawak

This article is about palace in Sarawak. For capital of Kazakhstan, see Astana.

Astana
Front view of the building from Kuching Waterfront
General information
Status	Complete
Type	Governor's residence
Location	Kuching, Sarawak, Malaysia
Coordinates
Completed	1870
Technical details
Lifts/elevators	Unknown

The Astana is a palace in Kuching, Sarawak, Malaysia, on the north bank of the Sarawak River, opposite the Kuching Waterfront. It is the official residence of the Yang di-Pertua Negeri Sarawak, the Governor of Sarawak. The name is a variation of 'istana', meaning 'palace'. It was built in 1870 by the second White Rajah, Charles Brooke, as a wedding gift to his wife, Margaret Alice Lili de Windt. The palace is not normally open to the public, although the landscaped gardens are, which can be reach by a boat ride across the Sarawak River.

History

The Astana, then called the Government House, was built in 1870 by the second White Rajah, Charles Brooke, as a wedding gift to his wife, Margaret Alice Lili de Windt. The couple married at Highworth, Wiltshire on 28 October 1869 and she was raised to the title of Ranee of Sarawak with the style of Her Highness upon their marriage.

Ranee Margaret arrived in Sarawak in 1870, and the royal couple then occupied The Astana as their main home. She later reminisced about life in The Astana and colonial Borneo in her memoir My Life in Sarawak, which was published in 1913.

Brooke is said to have cultivated betel nut in a small plantation behind the Astana, so that he could offer fresh betel nut to visiting Dayak chiefs.

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  The Astana in 1896

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  The Astana in 1959

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  The Governor's office in 1959

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  Ranee's bedroom in 1959

Architecture

The residence was originally three separate buildings, with each connected to the other by short and narrow passageways. In 1883, a clock tower was added at the front of the palace in memory of Charles Brooke, who was the first resident.

The Astana has since undergone major renovations and alterations befitting it as the official residence of the Governor of Sarawak.

See also

• New Sarawak State Legislative Assembly Building
• Wisma Bapa Malaysia