Ternate Sultanate Museum, Maluku Islands, Indonesia

5alliharper 5:00 PM Aug 2, 2015

Palace/museum worth visiting
The Ternate Sultan’s Palace is truly interesting. The sultanate has been in the hands of the same family since the 13th century. The Ternate airport is named for Sultan number 25. The most recent sultan, number 48, had died just a month before our visit. He had 4 wives, divorced 3, and had 7 sons. No one knows yet which son will be the next sultan. The palace overlooks the water and has a lovely balcony with plush chairs. To the rear of the palace is the impressive volcano Gamalama, which erupted last in December 2014. In the entry room there were 24 ornate chairs around two long dining tables. The elegant backs of the chairs had a beautiful floral design of mother-of-pearl. In a glass case in the throne room we saw a suit of armor given to the sultan in 1510 by a Portuguese captain. In another glass case was a handwritten Qur’an from the 1500s. In the same room we saw pictures of the sultan, a very dashing looking man, as well as of his parents. The chamberlain gave us an excellent tour of the palace/museum. We recommend a visit to this site.

3Javier_3456 5:00 PM Jan 21, 2018

Interesting
Important to know that Monday the museum is closed. Shorts are not allowed and you have to get in without shoes. I went Tuesday . Closed but I asked and someone open it for me . The museum is not too big just a couple of rooms and the terrace with very nice views . Interesting to see. There you can admire many gifts received by the different sultans some from 16 century!