Perak Museum

The Perak Museum, opened in 1883, is the oldest in Malaysia and occupies a handsome colonial building on Jalan Taming Sari, a short walk from the Lake Gardens. The collections cover natural history, ethnography, and the archaeology of the Malay Peninsula, with particular strength in Orang Asli material culture — weapons, musical instruments, rattan baskets, and ceremonial objects collected from the indigenous communities of the Perak jungle.

The natural history galleries include an impressive collection of local wildlife specimens, including a large saltwater crocodile and various species from the forests of the Larut hills. There is also a good display of tin-mining equipment that contextualises Taiping's origins as a mining boomtown. The museum is not huge, but it is curated with care and well worth an hour of your time. Admission is nominal.

things to do museum sight
A story
The Perak Museum opened in 1883, making it the oldest museum in Malaysia by a considerable margin. It was established largely on the initiative of the British Resident Leonard Wray, who had spent years collecting Orang Asli artefacts and natural history specimens from the surrounding forests. Many of his original collections are still on display.