6 Peculiar Museums to Visit this Hari Raya Holiday

If you’re one of these people or about to be, we suggest you to visit the following offbeat museums for a different Eid experience!

By Nadjwa Tajudin on May 29, 20194 minutes read

It is now common to see people travelling elsewhere other than back to their hometowns during Hari Raya (Eid) holiday celebration. If you’re one of these people or about to be, we suggest you to visit the following offbeat museums for a different Eid experience! How about ogling at peculiar and out-of-this-world exhibits that make you want to take an aspirin after exiting the museum? Let’s check out these six museums that can give you goosebumps but memorably exciting at the same time!

1. Meguro Parasitology Museum – Japan

Beat the feeling of melancholy when being away from your family or hometown during Eid by being engrossed in the world of parasites! Unlike other typical museums, Meguro Parasitology Museum is devoted to parasites, represented by more than 300 exhibits! Spanning two floors, each floor showcases different types of parasites that is enough to make you queasy. The lower floor displays different parasites that infect animals, while the upper floor focuses on parasites that infect humans. The world’s longest tapeworm, which is displayed in the museum, is the most eye-catching of all, accompanied by a rope the same size next to it for good measure! If you’re interested, they also sell parasite-themed merchandises that will definitely blow your family’s mind!

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The world’s longest tapeworm. Photo © Laika on Wikimedia

2. Malacca Museum of Enduring Beauty – Malacca

It is a norm for most people to look their best during Eid, especially when we are often told that beauty has its own standards. With social media feeding the idea of unachievable beauty, we take it hard upon ourselves to look good. After stepping into this museum, you are bound to realise that beauty lies in the eye of the beholder. The exhibits in this museum demonstrates that the standard of beauty from early periods in human history to the modern era vary. If you believe that beauty means being skinny or having the fairest skin, wait till you see the different concepts of beauty practiced by different cultures and tribes such as skin tattooing, feet binding, lip stretching by inserting round discs and more. A trip to this museum will make you realise that beauty has a different meaning in different parts of the world, and that everyone is beautiful in their own way.

: Photo © tripfreakz

: Photo © tripfreakz

3. The Museum of Human Disease – Australia

Do you still remember your new year resolution to eat healthier and hit the gym? If not, this museum is the right place for you. Housed within the University of New South Wales, it contains over 2,500 specimens of human disease ranging from organs and tissues of autopsied patients who willingly donate their bodies for educational purposes! Not only the museum displays diseases that cause great complications such as cancer and heart attacks, it also displays diseases that are related to unhealthy lifestyle such as smoking, obesity, mental health and more. Although it sounds terrifying, the museum’s main purpose is to educate the public about the consequences that they will be facing if they continue to live an unhealthy lifestyle. With simple explanations on each disease, you may find this museum entertaining and informative.

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Photo © Destination NSW

4. Museum of Medieval Torture Devices – Amsterdam

Have you ever wondered how punishments were held during the middle ages? You can kill that curiosity by visiting this museum that shows different types of torture instruments invented by men in Europe until 18th century! Despite its smallish size, it still manages to grab tourists’ attention with over 40 instruments of punishments sourced from different parts of Europe. Each device displayed in the museum offers its own explanation, historical background and function. Popular torture tools like the skull-cracker and inquisition chair might just leave you flabbergasted! The museum also provides a guided tour for groups. Come and test your mettle by discovering Europe’s gruesome past!

5. Siriraj Medical Museum – Thailand

Isn’t is strange that the creepiest exhibition is always the most interesting? We bet that this museum is scarier than your aunt’s yearly question on why you’re not yet married. Nicknamed the museum of death, most travellers consider it as both thrilling and nightmarish at the same time since it displays the bodies of accident victims, skeletons, preserved foetuses and more. Despite the museum’s actual purpose in serving as a beneficial source for doctors and medical students, it receives more attention by travellers seeking spine-chilling thrills. The mummified corpses’ exhibition is the most eerie of all as it showcases the bodies of a notorious serial killer and a rapist together with reasons why they were sentenced to death. This visually disturbing yet exciting museum is definitely for travellers with strong stomach.

6. The Plastinarium – Germany

If you’re an anatomy nerd, this museum is worth visiting. Putting aside the fact that it displays preserved dead bodies, its main purpose is to educate the public about the art of anatomical conservation. To make it more interesting, the museum showcases preserved bodies in creative poses to show how the human body works while performing daily chores. Moreover, travellers would also get to learn about the history of anatomical conservation techniques and in-depth insights into the plastination processes. Believe it or not, this museum inspires individuals to donate their bodies to the plastination process after they are deceased for educational causes!