Next came the National Museum that is housed in the only remaining building of the former Sultan’s Palace. It was a bit of a temperature shock walking from 30C+ and high humidity into this air-conditioned lobby. It was here that I realised just how wet my shirt was and experienced the first signs that I was becoming dehydrated – but I have commented about this elsewhere and will not repeat it here.
The Museum houses a small but well presented selection of ancient and modern artefacts. The recent history moving from Sultanate rule through independence to the current republic is told in a series of photographs and there is a chance to see some of the opulence in terms of furnishings and clothing enjoyed by the Sultans. These artefacts sit along side such modern wonders as Bakelite telephones and the first ever ICL magnetic tape driven computer used on the island.
An item that did capture by attention was one of the first litho printing presses with a proper litho stone and another reminder of the research into new technology in the printing and newspaper industries that I carried out at the commencement of my career at Ashridge Management College.
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