located within the compound of istana besar johor, istana zahrah was once the residence of sultan abu bakar when the royal family moved from telok belanga in may 27, 1889. the palace was built in 1886 and named in honor of his sister.
in 1913, the istana was turned into the bukit zahrah english school. my late father was one who went to had the education here. in the 1970s, the school was turned into sekolah agama bukit zahrah, a religious school. i can still remember seeing the young students running around the building in white baju melayu and black sampin when i sometimes followed my late father to wisma persekutuan, the goverment complex nearby.
the influence of western architectural can be seen in the layout and the use of classical columns, the verandah with arch shape pillar, plasters carving on walls, segmental shape windows and decorative glass above the windows and doors. the main feature of istana zahrah was the audience room caled balai cengkeh or balai zahrah. designed like a clove, it split into four to accommodate four main groups of foreign dignitaries of malays, english, chinese and indians during the royal functions. sultanah khatijah was crowned here and the palace was also the venue for the proclamation of sultan ibrahim on sept 7, 1895.
i think, it was in late 1980s when the school was closed. the building has since been vacant and left abandoned. over the years, the condition of the building has been deteriorating and now in a very poor state. being a historical venue, i strongly believe that this palace should be conserved and appreciated. not necessarily restored to its former glory, it should at least be kept clean and maintained(like the ruin of kellie castle or ktmb building in sentul park) and can simply be turned into another historical attraction.
