A new video and a series of photos have surfaced online, providing an inside look of the Terengganu Sultan Mizan Zainal Abidin's ( photo ) newest palace.

In a blog post , the Canadian-born photographer Benjamin Wong said the palace boasted 100 rooms, 14-tonne bronze doors, Moroccan hand-cut ceramic tiles, and a plethora of antiques.

When contacted today, Wong said he was approached by the palace’s architect Bill Bensley to conduct the shoot after seeing his works online.

Wong added that he was in disbelief over the opportunity to set foot inside a palace and could not refuse the offer.

“From an outsider’s perspective, I know there is a lot of tension going on in Malaysia but it is a beautiful place, and it is nice to show off the beauty as opposed to the ugly side.

“So that was my goal – show off something beautiful and amazing that the outside world really doesn't think of when they think of Malaysia,” he said.

Video was shot last year

The photos and three-and-half minute video was shot between Nov 24 and Nov 30 last year, while the palace itself was launched by the sultan over a year earlier on July 4, 2013.

He said his Malaysian parents are also excited about the project, while his international audience were impressed by his work.

The Malaysian audience however, were quick to zoom in on the “cultural inaccuracies” of the actor’s costumes in the video.

“I have heard from some Malaysians that my piece isn't culturally accurate and sorry for that.

 

“I’m not natively (Malaysian) and we really just used the resources we had on hand to make something beautiful,” said Wong, who normally publishes his artwork under the pseudonym Von Wong.

Palace a result of 15 years of hard work

According to Wong’s blog, the palace was a result of 15 years of hard work by Bensley, involving 5,000 drawings up to nine metres in length.

The video was, in part, to celebrate the palace’s completion, and his team of architects and their families were invited to take part in the video.

Wong however admitted that he was not in direct contact with the sultan and was not able to meet him because his majesty was not available at the time, but he was under the impression that Bensley had the sultan’s blessing for the project.

Some photos of the palace’s interior, he pointed out, are already in public domain, including on Bensley’s own website.

Meanwhile, on his blog, Wong said he felt he did not have enough time to do justice to the palace’s beauty, and could not feature many of its rooms and details.

He said he hopes the palace would one day be open to public, but until then, these details will be shown in Bensley’s new book that is slated to be published sometime this year.