The Brunei Museum is the country's principal national museum, housed in a large building on the Brunei River with good views across the water. The collections cover archaeology, natural history, Islamic art, and the oil and gas industry that defines modern Brunei. The Islamic arts gallery is the strongest section, displaying ceramics, manuscripts, metalwork, and textiles from across the Muslim world.
The archaeological section has artefacts recovered from the Kota Batu site — Chinese trade ceramics, coins, weapons, and everyday objects — that give substance to the excavations nearby. Together, the museum and the park constitute the best introduction available to the history of the Brunei Sultanate. Allow at least two hours; the building is air-conditioned and pleasant to be in.