Seri Menanti Palace

• . For visitors looking to appreciate a traditional wooden palace, the only really accessible – and some say the most beautiful – example left is the old Istana Seri Menanti, or Seri Menanti Palace, located in the royal town of Seri Menanti in Negeri Sembilan state, just two hours away from Malaysia’s capital city of Kuala Lumpur.

• The current building was constructed between 1902 and 1908 for Tuanku Muhammad Shah, the 7th State Ruler or Yang Di-Pertuan Besar of Negri Sembilan. The Istana served as the official residence of the royal family until 1931, before it was converted to a Royal Museum in 1992.

• The palace was designed entirely by two local Malay master carpenters and was constructed the traditional way, without using a single metal nail, and the entire four-storey building is literally held together only by mortise

• The first level of the palace was used for official functions, while the second level was used for private, family affairs  rally held together only by mortise-