Istana Nurul Iman (Palace of the Light of Faith), the official residence of the sultan, is one of the largest habitations of any sort in the world – more than four times the size of the Palace of Versailles.
The palace is open to the public only during the three-day Hari Raya Aidil Fitri festivities at the end of Ramadan. The best way to check it out on the other 362 days of the year is to take a water-taxi cruise.
Designed by Filipino architect Leandro Locsin, the palace mixes elements of Malay (the vaulted roofs) and Islamic (the arches and domes) design with the sweep and oversized grandeur of a 200,000-sq-m airport terminal. Nonetheless, it's relatively attractive from a distance or when illuminated in the evening. It is located 3km southwest of the town centre.
