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Kampong Ayer
Kampung Ayer (kahm-PONG AH-yuhr, Malay pronunciation: [ˈkampoŋ ˈaje(r)], Brunei: Kampung Aing) 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'.
The present name 'Kampung Ayer' is the obsolete Za'aba spelling of the Malay term 'Kampung Air', which literally means 'Water Village'. However, despite the Za'aba spelling being tailored for Johor–Riau pronunciation, therefore clearly not native to Brunei; the old spelling version is retained and still used as its primary name. In Brunei Malay, this place is also known as Kampung Aing. There are more examples of "Malaysian-influenced" spellings imposed on Bruneian placenames: Temburong for native Tamburung, Jerudong for Jarudung, and Kianggeh for Kianggih.
In general, village names are based on a number of themes, including the title of the state dignitaries who resided there, the area's specialty trade, the location of the village, or the site of a notable event or celebration. Examples of names based on nearby locations or rivers include Kampong Sungai Kedayan, Kampong Sungai Asam, Kampong Pekan Lama, Kampong Sungai Pandan, Kampong Lurong Dalam, Kampong Lurong Sikuna, Kampong Sungai Si Amas, Kampong Ujong Klinik, Kampong Sungai Kebun, and Kampong Bukit Berumput.
The names of the major state dignitaries or the village chiefs are used to create the designations Kampong Sultan Lama, Kampong Pengiran Bendahara Lama, Kampong Pemancha Lama, Kampong Bakut Siraja Muda, Kampong Pengiran Kerma Indera Lama, Kampong Pengiran Tajuddin Hitam, Kampong Setia Negara, Kampong Setia, and Kampon Setia Pahlawan. The villages of Kampong Peramu, Kampong Pekilong Muara, and Kampong Pandai Besi are named after their craftspeople.
Several settlements' names vanished as they were merged into neighboring villages. Kampong Kandang Batu and Kampong Alangan were among them. Several villages have completely vanished. Many villages, including Kampong Saudagar, Kampong Pasir, Kampong Belanak, Kampong Panchur Berasur, Kampong Tekuyong, Kampong Pengiran Daud, Kampong Pengiran Ajak, and Kampong Jawatan Jeludin, were mentioned in writing by an English historian in the middle of the 19th century, but their locations have never been determined.
The primary settlement area of the de facto capital of Bruneian Empire at the time, Kampong Ayer, would have existed as early as the 1363–1402 reign of Sultan Muhammad Shah. Brunei exported a wide range of commodities from the settlement, which served as a significant port. The settlement is believed to have been inhabited for several centuries. There are several historical records, particularly foreign sources, which reported the existence of 'water settlements' on the Brunei River. The most well known is arguably the account by Antonio Pigafetta, an Italian explorer, on his visit to Brunei as part of the Magellan expedition in 1521.
Entirely built in salt water... It contains twenty-five thousand hearths (families). The houses are all constructed of wood and built up from the ground on tall pillars.
— Antonio Pigafetta
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Kampong Ayer AI simulator
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Kampong Ayer
Kampung Ayer (kahm-PONG AH-yuhr, Malay pronunciation: [ˈkampoŋ ˈaje(r)], Brunei: Kampung Aing) 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'.
The present name 'Kampung Ayer' is the obsolete Za'aba spelling of the Malay term 'Kampung Air', which literally means 'Water Village'. However, despite the Za'aba spelling being tailored for Johor–Riau pronunciation, therefore clearly not native to Brunei; the old spelling version is retained and still used as its primary name. In Brunei Malay, this place is also known as Kampung Aing. There are more examples of "Malaysian-influenced" spellings imposed on Bruneian placenames: Temburong for native Tamburung, Jerudong for Jarudung, and Kianggeh for Kianggih.
In general, village names are based on a number of themes, including the title of the state dignitaries who resided there, the area's specialty trade, the location of the village, or the site of a notable event or celebration. Examples of names based on nearby locations or rivers include Kampong Sungai Kedayan, Kampong Sungai Asam, Kampong Pekan Lama, Kampong Sungai Pandan, Kampong Lurong Dalam, Kampong Lurong Sikuna, Kampong Sungai Si Amas, Kampong Ujong Klinik, Kampong Sungai Kebun, and Kampong Bukit Berumput.
The names of the major state dignitaries or the village chiefs are used to create the designations Kampong Sultan Lama, Kampong Pengiran Bendahara Lama, Kampong Pemancha Lama, Kampong Bakut Siraja Muda, Kampong Pengiran Kerma Indera Lama, Kampong Pengiran Tajuddin Hitam, Kampong Setia Negara, Kampong Setia, and Kampon Setia Pahlawan. The villages of Kampong Peramu, Kampong Pekilong Muara, and Kampong Pandai Besi are named after their craftspeople.
Several settlements' names vanished as they were merged into neighboring villages. Kampong Kandang Batu and Kampong Alangan were among them. Several villages have completely vanished. Many villages, including Kampong Saudagar, Kampong Pasir, Kampong Belanak, Kampong Panchur Berasur, Kampong Tekuyong, Kampong Pengiran Daud, Kampong Pengiran Ajak, and Kampong Jawatan Jeludin, were mentioned in writing by an English historian in the middle of the 19th century, but their locations have never been determined.
The primary settlement area of the de facto capital of Bruneian Empire at the time, Kampong Ayer, would have existed as early as the 1363–1402 reign of Sultan Muhammad Shah. Brunei exported a wide range of commodities from the settlement, which served as a significant port. The settlement is believed to have been inhabited for several centuries. There are several historical records, particularly foreign sources, which reported the existence of 'water settlements' on the Brunei River. The most well known is arguably the account by Antonio Pigafetta, an Italian explorer, on his visit to Brunei as part of the Magellan expedition in 1521.
Entirely built in salt water... It contains twenty-five thousand hearths (families). The houses are all constructed of wood and built up from the ground on tall pillars.
— Antonio Pigafetta