Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
138
An Introduction to Mosques
To appreciate what's going on in the mosques in Singapore, here's a little back-
ground on some of the st yles and symbols behind these ex otic buildings. I
have also included some tips that will help non-Muslims f eel right at home.
The rule of thumb f or mosques is that they all fac e Mecca. Lucky for these
buildings (and for Singaporean urban planners), most of the major mosques in
Singapore have managed to fit within the grid of city streets quite nicely, with
few major angles or c orners jutting int o the surr ounding str eets. One fine
example of a mosque that obey s the Mecca rule but disregards zoning orders
is Sultan M osque in K ampong Glam. A peek ar ound the back will r eveal how
the road is crooked to make way for the building.
The mosques in Singapore are a wonderful blend of Muslim influences from
around the world. The grand Sultan Mosque has the familiar onion dome and
Moorish st yling of the Arabic Muslim influenc e. The smaller but fascinating
Hajjah Fatimah Mosque is a blend of cultures, from Muslim to Chinese to even
Christian—testimony t o Islam 's t olerance of other cultural symbols . On the
other hand, the mosques in Chinatown, such as Jamae Mosque and the Nagore
Durgha Shrine, are Saracenic in flavor, a style that originated in India in the late
19th century, mixing traditional st yles of Indian and Muslim ar chitecture with
British conventionality.
Each mosque has t ypical features such as a
minaret,
a narr ow tower from
which the call t o pra yer was sounded (bef ore r ecorded br oadcasts), and a
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5
ORCHARD ROAD AREA
In the beginning, O rchard Road was just that, or chards and plantations. B ut as S inga-
pore began to attract international settlers, this ar ea transformed into an enclav e where
wealthy Europeans built their homes. Today Orchard Road still represents affluence and
luxury even though colonial homesteads hav e been replaced with glitzy malls and high-
rise hotels. And tr ue to its r oots, the O rchard R oad ar ea still has one of the highest
concentrations of Western expatriate residences on the island.
The Istana and Sri Temasek
In 1859, the constr uction of F ort Canning necessi-
tated the demolition of the original governors' residence, and the autocratic and unpop-
ular governor-general Sir Harry St. George Ord proposed this str ucture be built as the
new r esidence. Though the constr uction of such a large and expensiv e edifice was
unpopular, Ord had his way, and design and construction went through, with the build-
ing mainly per formed by convicts under the super vision of M aj. J. F. A. M cNair, the
colonial engineer and superintendent of convicts.
In its picturesque landscaped setting, Government House echoed Anglo-Indian archi-
tecture, but its symmetrical and cross-shaped plan also echoed the form of the traditional
Malay
istana
(palace). During the occupation, the house was occupied b y Field Marshal
Count Terauchi, commander of the Japanese Southern Army, and Major General Kawa-
mura, commander of the S ingapore Defense Forces. With independence, the building
