Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
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ARAB STREET & KAMPONG GLAM
Kampong Glam is the traditional hear t of Singaporean Muslim life. Since early colonial
days, the area has attracted Muslims from diverse ethnic backgrounds, fusing them into
one community by their common faith and lifestyle. The name Kampong G lam comes
from the M alay word
kampong,
meaning “ village,” and
gelam,
a par ticular kind of tr ee
that at one time grew abundantly in the area.
In 1819, the British made a treaty with Sultan Hussein Shah, then sultan of Singapore,
to cede the island to the B ritish East India Trading Company. As part of the agreement,
the sultan was offer ed a stipend and giv en Kampong G lam as settlement for his palace
and subjects. Sultan Hussein built his palace, Istana Kampong Glam, and sold off parcels
of land for burial grounds, schools, mosques, and farms. Trade grew in the area, as a wave
of mer chants and tradesmen mo ved in to ser ve the large numbers of pilgrims who
debarked from here on their journey to Mecca each year.
Although the ethnic Arab population in S ingapore has nev er reached large pr opor-
tions, their influence is immediately ob vious thr ough such str eet names as B ussorah,
Muscat, Baghdad, and, of course, Arab Street, the center of modern Kampong Glam—a
neat little shopping enclav e for textiles and r egional handicrafts. N ote that the shops
along Arab Street close on Sunday.
Alsagoff Arab School
Built in 1912, the school was named for Syed Ahmad Alsag-
off, a wealthy Arab merchant and philanthropist who was very influential in Singapore's
early colonial days and who died in 1906. I t is the oldest girls ' school in S ingapore and
was the island's first Muslim school.
121 Jalan Sultan, across from Sultan Plaza. 15-min. walk from Bugis MRT.
Hajjah Fatimah Mosque
Hajjah Fatimah was a wealthy businesswoman from
Melaka and something of a local socialite. She married a Bugis prince from Celebes, and
their only child, a daughter, married Syed Ahmed Alsagoff, son of Arab trader and phi-
lanthropist Syed Abdul Rahman Alsagoff. Hajjah Fatimah had originally built a home on
this site, but after it had been r obbed a couple of times and later set fir e to, she decided
to find a safer home and built a mosque her e instead.
Inside the high walls of the compound ar e the pray er hall, an ablution ar ea, gardens
and mausoleums, and a few other buildings. You can walk around the main prayer halls
to the gar den cemeteries, wher e flat squar e headstones mar k the grav es of women and
round ones mark the graves of men. H ajjah Fatimah is buried in a priv ate room to the
side of the main prayer hall, along with her daughter and son-in-law.
The minaret tower in the front was designed by an unknown European architect and
could be a copy of the original spir e of St. Andrew's Cathedral. The tower leans a little,
a fact that 's much mor e noticeable fr om the inside. O n the outside of the to wer is a
bleeding heart—an unexpected place to find such a do wnright Christian symbol. I t's a
great example of what makes this mosque so charming—all the combined influences of
Moorish, Chinese, and European architectural styles.
4001 Beach Rd., past Jalan Sultan.
&
65/6297-2774.
Free admission. 20-min. walk from Bugis MRT.
Malay Heritage Centre (Istana Kampong Glam)
When the M alay Heri-
tage Centre opened its doors in 2004, it became the first museum dedicated to the his-
tory, culture, and ar ts of this often-marginaliz ed ethnic gr oup. The Centre has lovingly
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