Tun Abdul Razak Hall, Sarawak Museum

Tun Abdul Razak Hall
Tun Abdul Razak Hall of the Sarawak Museum

The Tun Abdul Razak Hall is located across a busy road from the original building housing the ethnology exhibits. A pedestrian bridge connects the two buildings. The hall was built in 1973 for the Sarawak State Legislative Assembly, but only used for that purpose for a short time, and was converted for use by the museum in 1982.

The hall houses a large temporary exhibition space on the first floor, so it may seem empty when you first enter if there's no exhibition on, but just proceed to the second floor to view the permanent exhibition galleries.

The permanent exhibits display cultural artifacts from much of the modern era of Kuching and Sarak, including many fine ceramics, Chinese furnishings and tribal relics. The collection is deceptively large, so give yourself plenty of time.

The Tun Abdul Razak Hall also houses the main museum shop. There are quite a few nice items on sale here alongside the usual kitsch. Some reckon the shopping here is better than at the bazaar.