BANDAR SERI BEGAWAN, June 29 (Xinhua) -- Over 100,000 visitors have visited Istana Nurul Iman, the royal palace of Brunei, and conveyed their Hari Raya Aidilfitri greetings to the royal family during the three-day "Open Palace."
The annual Istana Nurul Iman "Open Palace" wrapped up on Thursday with 102, 660 people visiting the palace during the three-day Hari Raya celebration.
As a country with around 400,000 population, Brunei has kept the tradition to open its royal palace to the public for years, in conjunction with the annual Muslim festival of Hari Raya Aidilfitri, to enable locals and tourists to have an audience with and convey their greetings to the Sultan Haji Hassanal Bolkiah as well as members of the royal family.
"It is a golden opportunity for us foreigners to step into the palace and meet the Sultan in person," Samir Allen, a visitor from neighboring country Singapore told Xinhua Thursday afternoon, "and it will certainly be our great memories for me and my family."
Last year, Istana Nurul Iman received 100,802 visitors compared to 109,642 people in 2015. The highest recorded number of visitors was in 2012, when 110,728 people greeted the royal family.
The visitors were also treated to a buffet. All well-wishers were given a signature box containing a personal greeting card from the Sultan and local delicacies such as cakes and biscuits.
