Photography, Travel Florian Kriechbaumer Photography, Travel Florian Kriechbaumer

The Abode of Peace - Brunei

Welcome to one of the more obscure countries on this planet, one of its last remaining absolute monarchies, and a nation forging its own path on the island of Borneo: Brunei Darussalam.

 

Welcome to one of the more obscure countries on this planet, one of its last remaining absolute monarchies, and a nation forging its own path on the island of Borneo: Brunei Darussalam. Once a thriving empire, its influence has declined over the centuries, but natural resources meant its population of less than half a million people now enjoys a very high living standard. I spent a few days here, including New Years Eve, which in Brunei is just like any other evening - that may be an odd choice for some, but I had a burger for dinner and was in bed by 11pm, perfect start into 2023.


The Capital

My starting point was the capital, Bandar Seri Begawan (ever heard of it?). A walk the centre around reveals… not too much, but there are some interesting places and local life to observe.

Royal Regalia


The Main Sight

The city’s most recognisable landmark, and arguably its most beautiful, is the Omar Ali Saifuddien Mosque, serving as the symbol of the Islamic faith in Brunei.

In fact, a dedicated frame was set up for people to take photos with it in the nearby park on the shores of the Sungai Kedayan river.


While Islam is the primary religion in the country, freedom of faith is permitted by the constitution, with some limitations. The buddhist temple of Teng Yun is one of the most prominent non-Muslim religious buildings.

Looking south over the Brunei river reveals a bridge called Raja Isteri Pengiran Anak Hajah Saleha Bridge - I’m glad they kept the name simple for every day directions. It is the second-longest single-pylon cable bridge in the world and 157m tall. I couldn’t help but notice that the golden dome closely resembled the one on Saifuddien Mosque.

The night market at Gadong with its variety of multicultural street food - Brunei has to import 60% of its needs. The biggest ethnic group is Malay, making up over 60% of the population, and only a very small portion of indigenous people. The balance is a mix of origins, including a large number of expats.




Kampong Ayer

In fact though, a large portion of the village is as busy as ever, and includes floating mosques, schools, gyms and more.


More City Sights

Jame 'Asr Hassanil Bolkiah Mosque


Ash Shaliheen Mosque

Yet another mosque - they are some of the most interesting attractions in Brunei. This one is said to follow Moroccan style, and was designed by an Egyptian architect. It’s possible to visit, and the interior courtyard with its retractable roof is worth seeing. It’s also located in the government district, which featuring a number of peculiar architectural styles for the various ministries and offices.


Unfortunately I couldn’t make it in time to go inside and visit, but it houses a large collection of manuscripts and artworks, for instance. The exterior was likely equally fascinating to me though.


Palaces

A strange and seemingly abandoned building can be seen from certain angles in Brunei - this place was allegedly built for the Sultan's ex-wife, but stopped after the divorce. Its status is unclear, but it is said the interior is almost complete and follows similar architectural approach as the outside - a mix of classic European and Russian styles.

Record Breaking

The actual palace of the Sultan of Brunei, called Istana Nurul Iman or the Light of Faith, is on yet another level - it is considered the largest residential palace and single family building in the world. The cost at its completion in 1984 was USD 1.5Bn, with a floor space area of over 200,000 sqm - it contains 1,788 rooms, of which 257 are bathrooms. It also houses the banquet room seen as a model in the Royal Regalia museum. The palace is also home to the infamous car collection of the Sultan and his brother (a whole different character, worth reading up on). Most of those cars are said to slowly fall into decay due to the lack of care these days, but no one knows for sure.


And Further Around

Frankly, there isn’t toooo much to see beyond the city boundaries, but there are a few nice beaches and several rivers in the largely untapped forest. Unlike much of the rest of Borneo, which is part of Malaysia and Indonesia, Brunei’s portion hasn’t been tapped for Palm Oil and other plantations. These photos were taken from the shores of the The Empire Brunei hotel, the country’s only real high end luxury property, 20min from the city.

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Personal, Photography, Series Florian Kriechbaumer Personal, Photography, Series Florian Kriechbaumer

Happy Days - HIPA Winner & Smithsonian Finalist 🥳

The award gods were kind to me this year, as my work has received a 1st place recognition at HIPA’s Worlds Coolest Winter Season 2 contest.

From time to time I submit my work to photography contests around the world. There are many sub-par money-grab competitions out there, so it’s important to be selective when choosing where to submit. HIPA of course is beyond such a doubt, running the world’s highest priced global photography competition, for instance. Their World’s Coolest Winter campaign doesn’t quite reach the same prestige (and price money) but it was still a competition of amazing images from all around the United Arab Emirates.

All the more exciting is it to be among the winners, and I managed to claim a 1st price this year with the five images below. Some of them happen to be among my favorite photographs ever, not only from the UAE, but in general, so I’m glad they’ve been recognized.

On this note, a shoutout to my friend Neelima Azad, who won the second price. She’s one of my favorite photographers in the UAE, so I’m very happy we’re sharing the stage on this one! Funnily enough it’s not the first time, as we also both had images featured at the RAK Fine Art Festival last year, and they happened to be exhibited next to each other.


If any of you feel like one of the photos would make your home a nicer place (or someone else’s - good gifts!), the works from this competition are available as signed prints with certificates. Just contact me and we will figure out which options work best. If prints on the wall are not your thing, some of these images are going to be part of my upcoming photo book “Wonders of the Globe” - more on that soon!


Here is each of the photos with its story for your viewing pleasure:


The Smithsonian & the Nature of Viral Posts

A few weeks earlier, I heard from the Smithsonian Magazine, which selected one of my submissions as a Finalist in the Drone category. “Suburban Dystopia” is a photograph I also took in the UAE, scouting the location on Google and Apple Maps, as I often do. Once it was published on the Smithsonian’s website, it quickly went viral on Facebook and Reddit with ten thousands of likes and comments. Sadly - as it often goes on social media and the wider internet - it’s mainly controversy that drives engagement. A bland suburban robotic copy-paste housing complex in a place like Dubai (which as a city itself is always a well-loved subject for online debate) seems to attract a lot of people feeling the need to voice their often less-than-qualified opinion, and this is seemingly what it takes for the algorithms to surface content high up in the feeds.

This villa complex is in Nad Al Sheba, Dubai, and one of the many master planned gated communities in the city, built to quickly and effectively counter the housing shortages resulting from the growing population.


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