The over 100 years old Istana Tengku Long and Istana Tengku Nik are among the Malay heritage of Terengganu, which awaits visitors here at the Cultural Village, Terengganu State Museum.

The Terengganu Cultural Village was built by the state government to establish the one-stop-center which brought diverse culture and cultural arts and heritage from all over the world, said to the Menteri Besar Datuk Seri Dr. Ahmad Samsuri Mokhtar.

"Against the background of this olden-day Malay community atmosphere, this cultural village is the best opportunity for tourists to come in droves to experience a historic getaway.

"This (Terengganu Cultural Village) is also the best platform for young people to get to know some of the traditions of their ancestors because apart from being able to feel the diversity of the community in Terengganu, there are also traditional games and instruments that have never been seen by today's generation," he said after officiating at the launch of the Terengganu Cultural Village, here.

Samsuri also said that tourism activities related to Terengganu 's cultural arts will contribute to the economic development of local people.

In addition to displaying eight key elements of Terengganu Malay history - Rumah Berserambi or Istana Tengku Nik; Rumah Limas Belanda; Rumah Bujang Berpeleh; Rumah Bujang Berserambi Selasar; Rumah Limas Bungkus or Istana Tengku Long; Galeri Pelayaran; Rumah Nelayan and Laman Warisan - the Cultural Village also houses two large boats with historical relics.

Each of these things has an identity that is synonymous with each Terengganu district and managed by their respective district offices known as "adoptive fathers."

In the cultural village tourists can also see many exhibits and works such as making the Terengganu Laksa, using the traditional utensils of the 'kebok,' and sepak takrav's sports with a ball of chicken feathers, in addition to showcasing traditional statehouses.

Entry for tourists to this new tourist attraction is free of charge from today until this Sunday, after which the fee will be RM15 for adults and RM10 for children. The fee is RM 30 (adults), RM 20 (children), and RM 10 (senior and disabled citizens) to non-Malaysians.

Meanwhile, the Chair of the Terengganu Tourism, Culture and Information Technology Committee, Ariffin Deraman, said that 100,000 visitors were expected to visit Terengganu Cultural Village in a month, starting today.

“We are confident of achieving this target as the number of tourists to the Islamic Civilisation Park, located next to the Terengganu Cultural Village, reached 94,000 just for last month.

"The diversity of this cultural heritage can further boost the tourism industry in Terengganu. However, visitors still need to comply with the standard operating procedure to prevent the spread of COVID-19 here," he added.