Kampung Ayer is a prominent traditional settlement in Bandar Seri Begawan, the capital of Brunei. It comprises neighbourhoods of traditional houses, schools and mosques built on stilts above the Brunei River near the capital's city centre. It has an area of about 10 square kilometres (3.9 sq mi); the total population was 10,250 in 2016. It has been historically nicknamed 'Venice of the East'. Kampung Ayer has been historically the principal settlement of Brunei; it was the de facto capital, in particular social and economic centre, of the Bruneian Empire for a few centuries, but also extending into the early period during British imperialism in Brunei.
Kampong Ayer
A waterway in Kampong Ayer
'Water taxis' of Kampong Ayer
Awang Semaun Secondary School
Bandar Seri Begawan is the capital and largest city of Brunei. It is officially a municipal area with an area of 100.36 square kilometres (38.75 sq mi) and an estimated population of 100,700 as of 2007. It is part of Brunei-Muara District, the smallest yet most populous district which is home to over 70 per cent of the country's population. It is the country's largest urban centre and nominally the country's only city. The capital is home to Brunei's seat of government, as well as a commercial and cultural centre. It was formerly known as Brunei Town until it was renamed in 1970 in honour of Sultan Omar Ali Saifuddien III, the 28th Sultan of Brunei and the father of the current Sultan Hassanal Bolkiah.
Image: Bandar Seri Begawan Mosque at dusk
Image: Gadong, Bandar Seri Begawan (24032022)
Image: Jame'Asr Hassanil Bolkiah Mosque Brunei. (49710821097)
Image: Kampung Ayer (02042010 4)