MALAYSIA – Charming Brooke’s Legacy Trail Beckons

Bernama.com, March 08, 2007

Like Penang and Melaka, whose colonial legacy and influence are now being used to woo tourists, Sarawak too wants to showcase its historical treasures to tourists but in its very own way.Sarawak’s early history is unique as it was ruled not by a foreign empire but by a family, the Brooke family from 1841-1941.When James Brooke arrived in 1839, Kuching then consisted of humble timber huts with nipah thatched roofs nestled along the Sarawak River, mostly along the present Main Bazaar.During Brooke’s reign, many notable heritage buildings and landmarks emerged, among them the Bishop’s House, built in 1849, old State Mosque (1847), the Government House (1857), and the St Thomas Cathedral (1857).The reign of the White Rajah effectively came to an end with the invasion of the Japanese forces on Christmas eve in 1941, yet it is arguably the Brooke legacy that gave Kuching its charm till today.

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