Historic places in Johor Bahru

Historic places in Johor Bahru

1. See

   Chinatown

   This historical Chinese community area is located mostly along the Tan Hiok Nee Street. It consists of various restaurants, shops and landmarks, such as Johor Bahru Chinese Heritage Museum, Museum of 24 Festive Drum, Senso Art Gallery, Art 52 Gallery and the nearby Johor Bahru Kwong Siew Heritage Gallery.

   Free, except when visiting individual establishment

2. See

   Johor Bahru Chinese Heritage Museum

   Muzium Warisan Tionghua Johor Bahru

   Housed in a restored 4-storey building. Learn about the history and culture of the Chinese community in Johor Bahru. The displays are spread out over four storeys. There are numerous captioned photos on display, several TV screens showing video clips, objects/artefacts on display, mannequins dressed in traditional Chinese wedding clothes, a replica of the entrance door and sedan chair of the Roufo Chinese Taoist Temple in Jalan Trus, etc.

   Tue-Sun 9AM-5PM·RM3 adult; RM1 children, students, senior citizens

3. See

   Johor Bahru Hokkien Association Museum

   新山福建文物馆

   The museum showcases the important historical events, such as Malaya during World War 2, cultural relics and the historical development of Fujian.

   Mon-Fri 9AM-5PM, Sat 9AM-1PM·Free

4. See

   Johor Bahru Kwong Siew Heritage Gallery

   Galeri Warisan Kwong Siew Johor Bahru

   Museum occupies 2 units of adjoining 2-storey shop houses that were completed in 1907. They used to be the headquarters of the Kwong Siew Clan Association established in 1878 by Wong Ah Fook, a China-born, successful and influential entrepreneur who developed close links with the Johor Sultanate. The exhibits are all the second level (A/C). Here you can find the illustrated biographies of the 13 past and present presidents of the Kwong Siew Wai Kuan (Clan Association), other prominent Kwong Siew Wai Kuan figures, Wong Ah Fook and three of his sons. The history of Kampung Ah Fook, which was established by Wong Ah Fook and corresponds to the very heart of the city, is described here. Some of the exhibits in this museum are: Cantonese opera costumes, weapons used in Chinese martial arts, lion dance troupe equipment and costumes, old Chinese musical instruments, jewellery, opium pipes, and Cantonese opera scripts. Photography is forbidden.

   Tue-Sun 9AM-5PM·RM5 (adults), RM2 (children)

5. See

   Johor Bahru Old Chinese Temple

   柔佛古廟

   It is a Chinese temple believed to be built in 1870 by a group of Chinese community leaders led by Tan Hiok Nee, a famous, local Teochew businessman. This is where five different Chinese dialect groups - Cantonese, Hainanese, Hakka, Hokkien and Teochew - worshipped their respective deities and their effigies are all found inside the prayer hall. The Goddess of Mercy and the Weather God are also worshipped here; their effigies are found outside the prayer hall. The prayer hall is straight ahead as you enter the wooden gate entrance from Jalan Trus. There is a small museum behind the prayer hall which have illustrated descriptions of the five deities and the history of the temple, as well as giant photos showing Chingay Parade. Captions are mostly in Chinese only. The temple organizes the annual 4-day Chingay Parade. The climax of the parade occurs on the night of the 3rd day when the deities are paraded around the city centre.

   Closed · opens 7:30 am·Free

6. See

   Little India

   This historical Indian community area is located mostly along the Ungku Puan Street. It consists of various restaurants, shops and landmarks, such as Arulmigu Rajamariamman Devasthanam Temple, India Mosque, Gurdwara Sahib Johor Bahru and the nearby Arulmigu Sri Rajakaliamman Glass Temple.

7. See

   Royal Abu Bakar Museum

   Muzium Diraja Abu Bakar

   The Royal Abu Bakar Museum is one of the oldest buildings in Johor and is one of the main attractions in the state. This building was built in the year of 1866. It is formerly the Grand Palace of the Johor Sultan and has turned into a museum since 1982. The museum is filled with information and rare artifacts of the Royal Family. There are picture galleries featuring the family tree lasting many decades. The belongings of the Royal Family are exhibited there including the weapons of Malaysia. Nearby attractions which are related to the history of Johor and the Sultan himself, include the Sultan Abu Bakar State Mosque and the Sultan Abu Bakar Monument.

8. See

   Serene Square

   Laman Serene

   This is a public square in front of Serene Palace. Built on a 433 m² of land, it costed RM6.8 million to be built. It features a 12-m-high star and crescent statue. The ground features a double 5-corner star, which makes it in total of 10, representing the total numbers of districts in Johor.

   24 hours·Free

Listings from the Wikivoyage guide to Johor Bahru (CC BY-SA 4.0).