Saturday, August 20, 2011

Places of Interest in Sabah: Murut Cultural Centre, Tenom



The Murut Cultural Centre is situated in Kampung Pulong, about 10 kilometers away from Tenom town.

The location of this cultural centre is conspicuously located just by the roadside, on the left hand side of the road if you’re heading from the direction of Kota Kinabalu.

The centre covers an area of 33 acres and lies next to the Pegalan River. The humongous building of the Murut Cultural Centre alone stretches out to 20 acres large. The cultural centre houses an interesting gallery which displays many artifacts such as jars, gongs, and traditional designs of the indigenous Murut inhabitants.

The impressive buildings of the Murut Cultural Centre are mainly constructed out of local timber. The gigantic pillars epitomize elements of Murut architectures. Chiseled carvings on the pillars and the buildings’ interior panels offer a glimpse of the authentic Murut architecture.

The Murut Cultural Centre is open daily from 9am to 5pm.

Source: Sabah Tourism

NOTE: Photo Copyright to e-borneo.com

ED NOTE: A recent visit on a sleepy Sunday found the Murut Cultural Centre to be 'sleeping'. We were not greeted by anyone and we simply tour the compound on our own. The Centre normally only comes alive once a year during the Pesta Kalimaran cultural celebration in April. It would be a shame if this impressive work of art and culture is left lifeless during the majority of the year. It would definitely be hard to impress tourists (both local and foreign) who walk-in to the Centre. More crucially, the colourful Murut culture will lose the opportunity to be introduced to visitors. But, it is still worthwhile to drop by at the Centre when you are in Tenom. With well-written information along all the displays and exhibits, a self-guided tour will be equally intriguing to learn more about the culture of the Muruts, one of the indigenous people of Sabah.
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