Annah Rais Longhouse

Annah Rais Longhouse is a traditional Bidayuh bamboo longhouse located in Kampung Annah Rais, Padawan, about 60 kilometres south of Kuching, Sarawak. Believed to be over a century old, it is one of the largest and best-preserved Bidayuh longhouses in Sarawak, housing dozens of families in interconnected bamboo dwellings. It is notable for its authentic architecture, communal lifestyle, and cultural heritage, offering visitors insight into Bidayuh traditions and longhouse living.

Visitors can expect a long, elevated bamboo longhouse with more than 80 family doors connected by a common covered veranda. The structure is built primarily from bamboo, wood and thatch, set among forested hills and paddy fields. Visitors can walk along the communal corridor, view family living quarters, see the traditional headhouse (panggah) with preserved skulls, observe bamboo construction techniques, and experience Bidayuh daily life, handicrafts and food. Guided tours explain longhouse layout and customs.

Annah Rais Longhouse is believed to have been established more than a century ago by the Bidayuh Biannah community. Constructed entirely from bamboo and wood using traditional methods, it has been continuously inhabited and maintained by generations of families, representing one of the best-preserved examples of traditional Bidayuh longhouse settlement in the Kuching Division.

The longhouse is a living centre of Bidayuh culture, particularly the Biannah subgroup. It preserves communal living traditions, bamboo architectural knowledge, and customs associated with the headhouse and Gawai celebrations. It serves as an important cultural heritage site for understanding Bidayuh social structure, rituals, handicrafts and hospitality.