Kampong Kiarong

Kampong Kiarong (Kampung Kiarong) or commonly known as Kiarong, is a village in Brunei-Muara District, Brunei, as well as a neighbourhood in the country's capital Bandar Seri Begawan. It has an area of 383.43 ha; the population was 4,530 in 2016.

Geography
The village is located in the central part of Brunei-Muara District, and about 4 km from Bandar Seri Begawan's city centre. The village is home to Kiarong Roundabout in which the primary roads Sultan Hassanal Bolkiah Highway, Jalan Jame' 'Asr and Jalan Pasar Gadong (or Jalan Pasar Baharu) converge.

History
The village had existed in the year 1900 and the name of the village is already known as Kampong Kiarong. However, it is believed that Kampung Kiarong has two parts, Kiarong Kecil and Kiarong Besar. This village is also divided into several areas and given different names such as Kiduka area, Banawali area, Bukit Bintulang, Bukit Pantaran, Bukit Kijang Kuning, Banting, and Batung. The Bukit Bintulang area was given that name because the area was a former battlefield that left some dead. It is believed that the bamboo that grows in the area comes from the bamboo that was used during the fight.

Residents of Kampong Kiarong in the 1950s and 1960s worked cutting rubber, planting rice and also gardening. They usually garden in uncultivated land and every family that wishes to join in gardening will be given land according to the determined area. Usually this activity runs according to the season and when it is finished the land will be abandoned and then find new suitable and fertile land to make a place for gardening. In the 1960s, the roads in Kampong Kiarong were only dirt roads and were often deep when it heavily rained that caused the road to be impassable by any vehicle. Then the road was filled with sand and gravel until it was upgraded to a tar paved road.

Administration
Kampong Kiarong is one of the villages within Mukim Gadong 'B', a mukim in the district. It is also part of the municipal area of Bandar Seri Begawan. The village has the postcode BE1318.

Infrastructure
Various facilities have been provided by the Government of Brunei such as electricity, water and telephone, DST and PCSB services, banks, Jame 'Asr Hassanil Bolkiah, Datu Ratna Haji Muhammad Jaafar Kiarong Primary School, Kiarong Religious School, Sultan Sharif Ali Islamic University, IBTE Trade Campus, Duli Pengiran Muda Al-Muhtadee Billah College, Dry Cough Clinic, Pasar Gadong Multi-Purpose Market, Royal Control Police Branch, TAIB Petrol Station, housing buildings for government officials, shopping complexes and hotels. The village is also home to the Consulate of Chile and Embassies of Thailand, Kuwait and Iran.

Education
Datu Ratna Haji Mohammad Jaafar Primary School is the village's government primary school. It was established on 14 February 1965, initially known as Sekolah Melayu Kiarong ("Kiarong Malay School") and was housed in a temporary building. In 1985, the construction of the permanent building was completed and the school then became known as Kiarong Primary School (Sekolah Rendah Kiarong). The school absorbed the students from three former primary schools, namely Sekolah Melayu Pantai Jiam, Sekolah Rendah Menglait and Sekolah Rendah Pusat Pengajian. It finally adopted its current name on 20 October 2010 on the royal consent of Sultan Hassanal Bolkiah. It was named in honour of the first penghulu of Mukim Gadong who had made significant contribution to the local community. The school also shares grounds with Dato Ratna Haji Mohamed Ja'afar Religious School, the village's government school for the country's Islamic religious primary education.

The following educational institutions are located within the village's administrative boundary:
 * Sultan Sharif Ali Islamic University (Universiti Islam Sultan Sharif Ali, UNISSA)
 * The Business Campus of the Institute of Brunei Technical Education (IBTE)
 * Duli Pengiran Muda Al-Muhtadee Billah College (Maktab Duli Pengiran Muda Al-Muhtadee Billah, MDPMAMB), a sixth form college

Commerce
The village is home to several office and retail complexes which contribute to the commercial activity of Bandar Seri Begawan and Brunei-Muara District in general. They are mainly clustered in two areas: the first is located near the residential area and Jame Asr Hassanil Bolkiah Mosque, and the other adjacent to Kiulap and Gadong commercial areas.

Gadong Wet Market, a primary wet market in Brunei, and Pasar Pelbagai Barangan Gadong, a prominent night market, are located within the village's administrative boundary.

Places of interest
The village is home to Jame' Asr Hassanil Bolkiah Mosque, one of the two state mosques of Brunei.

Notable people

 * Datu Ratna Muhammad Jaafar (born 1909)
 * Muslim Burut (1943–2021), writer
 * Abdul Hapidz (1928–2022), politician and businessman