The Astana

The Astana (Malay: Astana Sarawak) is a palace in Kuching, Sarawak, Malaysia, on the north bank of the Sarawak River, opposite the Kuching Waterfront. It is the official residence of the Yang di-Pertua Negeri Sarawak (Governor of Sarawak). The name is a variation of 'istana', meaning 'palace'. It was built in 1870 by the second White Rajah, Charles Brooke, as a wedding gift to his wife, Margaret Alice Lili de Windt. The palace is not normally open to the public, although the landscaped gardens are, which can be reached by a boat ride across the Sarawak River. It is part of the Kuching Heritage Trail.

Text adapted from “The Astana, Sarawak” on Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0.

The Astana ranks #2,792 of 7,738 worldwide in the atlas's castle fame ranking, and #5 of the 7 mapped in Malaysia. Founded 1870, it is older than 7% of the atlas's dated landmarks — one of 562 atlas entries founded in the 19th century. Its Wikipedia articles were opened 2,257 times in the last 60 days, more than 69% of the atlas. 1 more atlas landmarks stand within 25 km. See how Malaysia compares in the castle statistics.

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