Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
137
displayed exhibits that offer a glimpse into S ingapore's early Malay settlements, the sul-
tan's royal family, Malay arts, and 20th-century Malay life.
There's a bit of irony here. The museum is housed in the I stana Kampong Glam, the
former royal palace that housed the descendants of the original sultan that o versaw Sin-
gapore. In 1819, Sultan Hussein signed away his rights o ver the island in ex change for
the land at Kampong Glam plus an annual stipend for his famil . After the Sultan's death,
the family fortunes began to dwindle and disputes br oke out among his descendants. In
the late 1890s, they went to court, where it was decided that because no one in the fam-
ily had the rights as the successor to the sultanate, the land should be everted to the state.
The family was allowed to remain in the house, but because they didn't own the property,
they lost the authority to improve the buildings. Over the years, the compound fell into
a very sad state of dilapidation. Eventually, Sultan Hussein's family was given the boot by
the government to make way for this museum heralding the v alue of the Malay, and the
Sultan's, cultural contribution to Singapore. Hmm.
Galleries on the first floor r elate the stor y of the immigration of M uslim Malays to
Singapore and their central role in the island's trading culture. Upstairs there are displays
that deal with the modern histor y of the M alay community and a r ecreation of a tradi-
tional kampong (village) house and an early HDB apar tment.
The house to the left befor e the main gate of the I stana compound is called
Gedong
Kuning,
or Yellow Mansion. It was the home of Tenkgu Mahmoud, the heir to Kam-
pong Glam. When he died, it was pur chased by local Javanese businessman Haji Yusof,
the belt merchant. Today it houses a Malay restaurant,
Tepak Sireh
(
&
65/6393-4373;
daily 11:30am-2:30pm and 6:30-10pm).
85 Sultan Gate.
&
65/6391-0450.
Adults S$4 (US$2.68/£1.80), children S$3 (US$2/£1.35); free admission
to Istana compound. Mon 1-6pm; Tues-Sun 10am-6pm. 15-min. walk from Bugis MRT.
Sultan Mosque
Though more than 80 mosques exist on the island of S ingapore,
Sultan Mosque is the r eal center of the M uslim community. The mosque that stands
today is the second S ultan Mosque to be built on this site. The first was built in 1826,
partially funded by the East India Company as part of their agreement to leave Kampong
Glam to Sultan Hussein and his family in r eturn for sovereign rights to S ingapore. The
present mosque was built in 1928 and was funded b y donations from the Muslim com-
munity. The Saracenic flavor of the onion domes, topped with crescent moons and stars,
is complemented by Mogul cupolas. Funny thing, though: The mosque was designed by
an Irish guy named Denis Santry, who was working for the architectural firm Swan and
McLaren.
Other interesting facts about the mosque: Its dome base is a ring of black bottles; the
carpeting was donated by a prince of Saudi Arabia and bears his emblem; and at the back
of the compound, N orth B ridge R oad has a kink in it, sho wing wher e the mosque
invaded the nicely planned urban grid pattern. Also, if y ou make your way through the
chink where the back of the building almost touches the compound wall, peer inside the
makam
to see the royal graves. Sultan Mosque, like all the others, does not permit shorts,
miniskirts, low necklines, or other r evealing clothing to be worn inside. H owever, they
do r ealize that non-M uslim trav elers like to be comfor table as they tour ar ound and
provide cloaks free of charge. They hang just to the right as y ou walk up the stairs.
3 Muscat St.
&
65/6293-4405.
Free admission. Daily 9am-1pm and 2-4pm. No visiting is allo wed dur-
ing Mass congregation Fri 11:30am-2:30pm. 15-min. walk from Bugis MRT.
7
