Description

In 1858, Maharaja Abu Bakar planned to build a palace with the architecture and design which will reflect his power and sovereignty. A strategic area situated on a hill near the Straits of Johor was chosen and construction began in 1864. Wong Ah Fook was commissioned to build the palace, supervised by Yahya Awaluddin. Architects within the Cabinet Ministers also assisted in the design and supervision in the construction of the building. The Grand Palace was completed on the 1st of January 1866, the same day "Iskandar Puteri" was renamed "Johor Bahru".

Maharaja Abu Bakar did not only make the Grand Palace his official residence, but also used it as an audience hall as well as residences for Royal guests and dignitaries who visited Johor. Among the foreign Royal visitors that were guests at the Grand Palace were The Duke of Edinburgh (1869), Prince Henry of Prussia each (1880), King David Kalakaua of Hawaii (1881), The Duke of Sutherland (1888), the Archduke's Ferdinand of Austria (1893) and a few other important individuals. These visits from these important dignitaries shows the great charisma the Sultan had at that time as he was renowned internationally, and it also allowed him to display the development of Johor to the outside world.

Prior to this, in 1868, Maharaja Abu Bakar transferred the administrative machineries of the State to the Grand Palace. This included the secretariat, treasury, customs, lands and surveys as well as the education department. With this came the expression "Istana itu Kerajaan, Kerajaan itu Istana" (The Palace is the Government and the Government is the Palace) Allah Peliharakan Sultan.