Front Cover: The cover of each issue of the Journal of the Malaysian Branch of the Royal Asiatic Society highlights a building or location that is a significant part of the national heritage of Malaysia, Singapore and Brunei.
The cover of the current issue features the Istana Jaha rin Kota Bahru, Kelantan. Sultan Muhammad II (r. 1837-1886) began construction of the building and it was completed by his son and successor, Sultan Ahmad (r. 1886-1890), for the use of his own son, who was then Raja Bendahara and in 1890 became Sultan Muhammad III. C. F. Bozzolo, who visited Kelantan in 1888, mentioned the new palace in his journal (reproduced in the current issue of JMBRAS), praising “the lovely site selected, the solidity of the construction, and the shape and architecture”. The structure currently houses Kelantan’s Muzium Adat Istiadat Diraja (Museum of Royal Traditions and Customs).
Photograph courtesy of Badan Warisan Malaysia