Hassanal has built a palace full of gold to live in. Brunei became independent from the British in 1984. In the same year, he built a palace with 22 carat gold.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi reached Brunei. Despite 40 years of diplomatic relations between the two countries, this is the first time an Indian Prime Minister has set foot in Brunei. Modi will reach Singapore on Wednesday after meeting Brunei Sultan Haji Hassanal Bolkiah and other members of the royal family. The Prime Minister has been invited to the palace of the Sultan of Brunei.
The name of the Sultan of Brunei is Hassanal Bokaya ibni Omar Ali Saifuddien III. But he is known as Hassanal Bokaya. Sultan Hassanal of Brunei is a small country on the island of Borneo, which borders Malaysia and the South China Sea. According to Islamic tradition, he is not only the Sultan of Brunei but also the Prime Minister there. Apart from being the Prime Minister of that country, he is also in charge of many ministries. He also had the charge of the ministries of Finance, Foreign Affairs, Defence and Commerce. On one hand, he is handling the responsibility as Superintendent of Police, on the other hand, Hasanal is also the head of the armed forces. Hasanal was born on 15 July 1946. His father Sultan Omar Ali Saifuddeen III had made Hasanal the king out of 10 children. He ascended the throne of the Sultan of Brunei in 1967. Hasanal’s wealth is also not less. His wealth in Indian currency is Rs 2 lakh 24 thousand 53 crores. Before taking charge of Brunei, the Sultan received his primary education in his palace itself. However, later he got admission in Victoria Institution in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia for higher education. After this, he graduated from the Royal Academy of England. After completing traditional education, Hasanal got married. He got married not once but thrice. He is the father of five sons and seven daughters. Apart from ancestral property, Hassanal’s wealth also includes profits from Brunei’s oil and natural gas reserves. Till 1988, he was the richest man in the world. At that time, his total wealth was Rs 14 thousand 700 crores.
Hassanal has built a palace full of gold to live in. Brunei became independent from the British in 1984. In the same year, he built a palace with 22 carat gold. The name of the palace is Istana Nurul Iman. The name of this palace is also recorded in the Guinness Book of Records. The name means ‘Palace of the Light of Faith’.
The palace was designed by Leandro V Locsin. Both Islam and Malay traditions are inscribed in this golden palace. The Sultan’s golden palace is on the banks of the Brunei River. It is the world’s largest palace for private residence.
Spread over an area of 20 lakh square feet, this palace is very luxurious. There are at least 1700 rooms in the palace. There are 257 toilets and 5 swimming pools here. The Sultan lives in this palace. All the administrative work of Brunei is also done from this palace. A separate room has been allotted for him.
The palace also has a zoo for the entertainment of the Sultan. Whispers can be heard, there are birds of different species as well as 30 Royal Bengal Tigers.
The Sultan has more than 7 thousand cars in his collection. These cars are kept in the palace garage. There are 110 garages in the palace. The Sultan’s collection includes 450 Ferraris, 380 Bentleys, 275 Lamborghinis, 258 Aston Martins, 172 Bugattis, 600 Rolls Royces, 440 Mercedes Benzes, 265 Audis, 237 BMWs, 225 Jaguars and 183 Land Rovers.
According to media sources, the Sultan’s collection includes a Bentley Dominator SUV worth Rs 672 crore. He has a Rolls Royce Silver Spur 2 model car wrapped with 24 carat gold leaves.
It is heard that the Sultan had a separate Rolls Royce car made of gold as a hobby. The roof of that car is open. An umbrella is also installed in the car.
In 2007, it was rumoured that the Sultan gifted his daughter Majeda a gold-plated Rolls Royce car for her wedding.
The Sultan is fond of playing polo. Therefore he keeps 220 horses. The palace grounds have several air-conditioned stables to take care of the horses.
The Sultan has a private plane plated with gold. That plane is also in this palace. The Sultan’s collection includes gold-plated Boeing 747-400 and Airbus A340-200 jets.
Common people are not allowed to enter this palace. Common people can enter the palace only during the festival held at the end of the month of Ramadan. This festival lasts for three days.
More than one lakh tourists visit this palace every year during this festival. Visitors are given a variety of delicious things as well as gifts wrapped in green paper. Basically money is given as a gift to the younger members of the family.
But the Bulkiya royal family has another palace. Its name is the House of Bulkiya. This palace was built in the 14th century. However, after the construction of Istana Nurul Iman Palace, the excitement of the Bulkiya House diminished.
Sultan Hassanal is one of the richest people in the world. According to Forbes magazine in 2008, his wealth was $2 billion. He is the longest reigning sultan in the world after Queen Elizabeth II. He will celebrate the 57th anniversary of his reign on October 5, 2024.
It is heard that the Sultan gets his hair cut at least once a month. He changes his hairstyle every three to four weeks. The Sultan spent around Rs 15 lakh on his haircut. So he called a hairdresser from London. The Sultan paid the hair stylist around Rs 9 lakh just for the first class airfare.
