INTRODUCTION
The National Museum is a museum located on Jalan Damansara in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. The museum is situated in close proximity to the Perdana Lake Gardens and it provides an overview of Malaysian history and culture. Muzium Negara is a palatial structure built in the style of Rumah Gadang, an aspect of Minangkabau architecture. Its facade comprises elements of traditional Malay and modern features. Muzium Negara was opened on 31 August 1963, and it serves as a repository of Malaysia’s rich cultural and historical heritage. Muzium Negara is a three storied structure of 109.7 meters long and 15.1 meters wide and 37.6 meters at the central point. The museum houses four main galleries allotted to ethnology and natural history. The displays range from free-standing tableaux showing cultural events like weddings, festivals and costumes; to traditional weapons, musical instruments, arts and crafts, ceramics, and flora and fauna.
HISTORY
Muzium Negara was established on the site of the former Selangor Museum. It was built by the British and Selangor governments in 1898 following the formation of the Federated Malay States in 1896. On March 10, 1945, during the end of World War II, the right wing of the museum was bombed and destroyed by the US B-29 bomber, from the Allied Forces. The museum's collection was then moved to the Perak Museum in Taiping. After World War II, the left wing of Selangor Museum was still in use as a historical site. On the brink of the independence of the Federation of Malaya, Prime Minister Tunku Abdul Rahman conceived the idea to build a museum to house national historical and cultural treasures as well as specimens of flora and fauna. The old museum structure was completed demolished to make way for a new museum. Construction began in 1959 and was complete in 1963. The National Museum was officially opened on 31 August 1963 by Tuanku Syed Putra Ibni al-Marhum Syed Hassan Jamalullal, the 3rd Yang di-Pertuan Agong. On 4 April 1996 the building was gazetted under the Antiquities Act 169/1976 as an ancient monument and historical site
