On a coastline famed for sunsets and spirituality, a newcomer to the global cultural scene has made an elegant entrance. The SAKA Museum, nestled within the AYANA estate in Jimbaran, has been named among the World’s Most Beautiful Museums by Prix Versailles, the prestigious architecture and design award presented annually by UNESCO’s partner institution.
The announcement, made on 5 May during the 11th edition of the award, places SAKA alongside world heavyweights such as Paris’s Grand Palais, Seoul’s Audeum, and the newly reinvented Kunstsilo in Kristiansand, Norway.
It’s a rare honor for a museum not even two years old—SAKA was inaugurated in 2024—but already drawing international eyes for its synthesis of ancient tradition and modern elegance.
Cultural architecture with sacred grounding
SAKA Museum’s name is drawn from the Balinese Saka calendar, evoking both temporal reverence and spiritual rhythm.
The museum’s design and curation are guided by Tri Hita Karana, the Balinese life philosophy of harmony between God, nature, and humanity. A Prix Versailles statement noted that the museum had succeeded in “making culture luxurious,” a phrase that in this case carries less irony and more reverence.
Set against Jimbaran’s coastal curve, the building’s sloping roofline traces a visual arc between mountain and sea. A reflecting pool envelops the structure, capturing the shifting light of Bali’s skies and the meditative pull of moonlight.
It’s a nod to Bali Giri Segara—the island’s spiritual belief in the balance between highland and ocean as axis points of sacred energy.
Living heritage in motion
Inside, SAKA Museum operates as more than a static repository. It leans heavily into interactivity, inviting guests to engage with Bali’s UNESCO-recognized Subak irrigation system, as well as archival material documenting the island’s cultural trajectory.
At the core is “Kasanga: Nyepi Exhibition,” which immerses visitors in the contemplative silence of Nyepi, Bali’s annual Day of Silence, when the island collectively powers down in pursuit of inner peace.
A new exhibition slated to open later this year—“Heritage Gallery: The Five Elements”—promises to deepen that introspective thread, exploring Balinese cosmology through earth, water, fire, air, and ether.
A string of accolades
SAKA’s inclusion in the Prix Versailles list caps off a remarkable year.
In 2024, it was featured in TIME magazine’s World’s Greatest Places and also recognized among the Kyoto Global Design Awards’ Top 100. The December round of Prix Versailles will further elevate three of the seven honored museums for their outstanding interior or exterior design—SAKA is now in that final shortlist.
