Siwalima Museum

Siwalima Museum is located on Makmur Park Area, Amahusu Village, Nusaniwe District, Kota Ambon City, Maluku Province. This museum was established in 1973 and is filled with relics and historic objects. An extra this museum provides is that it is located on a hill facing the bay of Ambon providing a superb view.

The word "Siwalima" is formed from two words taken from the history of the kingdoms that once existed in Maluku. The word "Siwa" means nine meaning the collection of nine kingdoms in the southern Maluku and the word "Lima" means five is taken from Patalima which is derived from a collection of five kingdoms in the northern Maluku.

In front of the museum entrance there is a sign saying "Usu Mae Upu" which means "Please come in". Initially, the museum only collected objects of Maluku cultures and customs, and now it has a huge collection. Because of this the Siwalima Museum is divided into two buildings:

The first building is called the Siwalima Maritime Museum. In this place are objects of Ambonese maritime history and sea animals such as: three pieces of whale skeleton of 9 m, 17 m and 19 m length, as well as various objects of Maluku marine life.

The second building is called Siwalima Cultural Museum. In this place are objects shown about everything relating to the Maluku culture, such as the original building of Maluku, clothing, agricultural tools, weapons, ceremonial paraphernalia, old money, and various jars from the Japanese colonial period.

All these objects are well-preserved in Museum Siwalima. When you visit this place there will be attendents who can explain in detail the entire contents of the museum. Visitors can also make a special request for listening to local music, see dance performance or a demonstration of the manufacturing of woven fabrics.