Kampong Glam (
Malay: Kampung Gelam;
Jawi: کامڤوڠ ڬلم ; ;
Tamil: கம்போங் கிளாம்) is a neighbourhood and
ethnic enclave in Singapore. It is located north of the
Singapore River, in the
planning area
Planning is the process of thinking regarding the activities required to achieve a desired goal. Planning is based on foresight, the fundamental capacity for mental time travel. The evolution of forethought, the capacity to think ahead, is co ...
of
Rochor, known as the Malay-Muslim quarter.
History
The name of the area is thought to be derived from the
cajeput tree, called "gelam" in
Malay. "Kampong" (modern spelling "kampung") simply means "village".
Prior to colonisation by the
British in 1819, the area was home to the Malay aristocracy of Singapore. It became prominent and more populous after the signing of a
treaty between the
British East India Company,
Sultan Hussein Shah
Sultan Hussein Mua'zzam Shah ibni Mahmud Shah Alam (1776 – 5 September 1835) was the 18th ruler of Johor-Riau. He signed two treaties with Britain which culminated in the founding of modern Singapore; during which he was nominally given recog ...
of
Johor and
Temenggong Abdul Rahman in 1819. The company was given the right to set up a
trading post in Singapore under this treaty.
During the colony's
early history
Prehistory, also known as pre-literary history, is the period of human history between the use of the first stone tools by hominins 3.3 million years ago and the beginning of recorded history with the invention of writing systems. The use of ...
, under the
Raffles Plan of 1822, the settlement was divided according to different
ethnic groups which included European Town, Chinese, ''
Chulia'',
Arab and Bugis kampongs. Kampong Glam was designated for the Sultan and his household, as well as the
Malay and
Arab communities, many of whom were
merchant
A merchant is a person who trades in commodities produced by other people, especially one who trades with foreign countries. Historically, a merchant is anyone who is involved in business or trade. Merchants have operated for as long as indust ...
s. It was situated east of what was then the European Town.
While the Temenggong and his followers settled in
Telok Blangah, Sultan Hussein, his family and followers settled in Kampong Glam. In return, the Sultan was given large areas of land for
residential
A residential area is a land used in which housing predominates, as opposed to industrial and commercial areas.
Housing may vary significantly between, and through, residential areas. These include single-family housing, multi-family residen ...
use in Kampong Glam under the treaty. The land was allocated to the Malays and other
Muslim
Muslims ( ar, المسلمون, , ) are people who adhere to Islam, a monotheistic religion belonging to the Abrahamic tradition. They consider the Quran, the foundational religious text of Islam, to be the verbatim word of the God of Abrah ...
immigrants to Singapore, including the Malays from
Malacca
Malacca ( ms, Melaka) is a state in Malaysia located in the southern region of the Malay Peninsula, next to the Strait of Malacca. Its capital is Malacca City, dubbed the Historic City, which has been listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site si ...
, the
Riau Islands and
Sumatra
Sumatra is one of the Sunda Islands of western Indonesia. It is the largest island that is fully within Indonesian territory, as well as the sixth-largest island in the world at 473,481 km2 (182,812 mi.2), not including adjacent i ...
in Indonesia. It also included the Baweanese, Banjarese, Chinese and Indians.
The second half of the nineteenth century saw the rapid growth of immigrant communities in Kampong Glam, initially from Sumatra, and later from other parts of Indonesia and
Malaya
Malaya refers to a number of historical and current political entities related to what is currently Peninsular Malaysia in Southeast Asia:
Political entities
* British Malaya (1826–1957), a loose collection of the British colony of the Straits ...
. This resulted in the setting up of different kampongs, like Kampong Malacca, Kampong Java and Kampong Bugis. There were also a small but successful Arab community of
traders in the area.
In the early twentieth century, commercial activities in Kampong Glam expanded as new
shop house
A shophouse is a building type serving both as a residence and a commercial business. It is defined in dictionary as a building type found in Southeast Asia that is "a shop opening on to the pavement and also used as the owner's residence", a ...
s and residential buildings were built. A
multi-ethnic community soon developed there, comprising not only Malays and Arabs but also the Chinese and Indians.
Later, due to an expansion of commercial activities and an increase in immigrant settlers in Kampong Glam, the Arabs moved to areas like
Joo Chiat,
Tanglin and Bukit Tunggal (the stretch of
Dunearn Road near the
junction of Balmoral Road and Chancery Lane, near
Anglo-Chinese School (Barker Road) today, was called Tunggal Road).
By the early 1920s, many Malays also moved out to designated resettlement areas in
Geylang Serai
Geylang is a planning area and township located on the eastern fringe of the Central Region of Singapore, bordering Hougang and Toa Payoh in the north, Marine Parade in the south, Bedok in the east, and Kallang in the west.
Geylang is perha ...
and
Kampong Eunos.
Present
Today, Kampong Glam still retains strong ties to the Native-Malay and Muslim community and has sometimes been termed the "Muslim Quarter" due to its history. The Muslim population still remains a significant presence in Kampong Glam, especially in
Bussorah Street
Bussorah Street is situated in the Kampong Kampong Glam area of Singapore. The street is named after the Iraqi city of Bussorah and features a collection of Middle Eastern restaurants and tourist shops.
History
Bussorah Street was previously k ...
. The area remains a centre for Muslim activities and the Sultan Mosque remains a major landmark and congregation point for the Singapore Muslims.
Like
Little India and
Chinatown
A Chinatown () is an ethnic enclave of Chinese people located outside Greater China, most often in an urban setting. Areas known as "Chinatown" exist throughout the world, including Europe, North America, South America, Asia, Africa and Austra ...
, Kampong Glam has been
restored, refurbished and new life breathed into it, bringing back the former colour and vibrancy of the area. Rows of conserved shophouses can be found in
Haji Lane
Haji Lane is in the Kampong Glam neighbourhood of Singapore, a short walk from Bugis MRT. Young people frequent the shophouses along this lane for the independent stores and cafes, such as Pizza Fabbrica, Good Luck Beerhouse, and Monocle.
Haji L ...
,
Arab Street,
Baghdad Street and Bussorah Street. Many of these shophouses have new
tenants such as design and
IT firms,
art galleries,
crafts and curiosity shops, food caterers, cafes, bars and restaurants. They blend in with traditional businesses like textile and carpet shops,
blacksmiths and shops selling religious items used by Muslims. It is also an area of good restaurants, from Malaysian coffee shops and bakeries to fine modern European dining, like Le Pont De Vie.
On 16 December 2006, a fire broke out at four
shophouse
A shophouse is a building type serving both as a residence and a commercial business. It is defined in dictionary as a building type found in Southeast Asia that is "a shop opening on to the pavement and also used as the owner's residence", a ...
s at
Sultan Gate at 2145 (
SST) with the four shophouses destroyed by the fire. It nearly spread to nearby food and beverage outlets in the vicinity. Of the four shophouses destroyed, two were vacant, one was a
blacksmith shop and the other a shoe shop.
Firefighters
A firefighter is a first responder and rescuer extensively trained in firefighting, primarily to extinguish hazardous fires that threaten life, property, and the environment as well as to rescue people and in some cases or jurisdictions also ...
controlled the fire by surrounding it as it spread through the roof. According to eyewitnesses, the fire started from the second floor of the blacksmith shop. The blacksmith shop is one of the oldest types of shophouses in Singapore which was used for educational tours. It is the last blacksmith shop in the area.
Political history
Beginning from the
1959 general elections, Kampong Glam was a division of its own called
Kampong Glam Single Member Constituency where the Member of Parliament (MP) seat was held by Former
Deputy Prime Minister S. Rajaratnam until 1988 when
Loh Meng See took over and served until 2006.
However, after the
1991 general elections,
Kampong Glam SMC along with several neighbouring wards were absorbed into the bigger
Kampong Glam Group Representation Constituency which existed for only one term and the ruling party
People's Action Party had won the seats on the nomination day itself.
Subsequently, in the
1997 general elections,
Kampong Glam GRC was disbanded and Kampong Glam's electoral division was reverted to
Kampong Glam SMC with single-member representation that lasted until the
2001 general election whereby the redrawing of electoral boundaries saw it absorbed into
Jalan Besar Group Representation Constituency, which includes parts of the
Downtown Core.
Loh has since retired from politics by
2006 general election and the current MP is
Denise Phua who represents
Jalan Besar GRC. In the
2011 general elections, Jalan Besar GRC was dissolved and became part of the newly created
Moulmein-Kallang Group Representation Constituency;
Edwin Tong has since taken over the helm. But in 2015, Jalan Besar GRC was revived and both Denise Phua and Dr Yaacob Ibrahim took over the helm of the entire GRC and Edwin Tong was transferred to Marine Parade GRC's Joo Chiat ward.
See also
*
Gedung Kuning
*
Malay Heritage Centre
*
Haji Lane
Haji Lane is in the Kampong Glam neighbourhood of Singapore, a short walk from Bugis MRT. Young people frequent the shophouses along this lane for the independent stores and cafes, such as Pizza Fabbrica, Good Luck Beerhouse, and Monocle.
Haji L ...
*
Arab Street
References
Further reading
*National Heritage Board (2006), ''Discover Singapore – Heritage Trails'',
*G. Byrne Bracken (2004), ''A Walking Tour: Singapore'', Times Editions, 2nd ed.,
External links
Urban Redevelopment Authority – Shophouse styles at Kampong Glam360 degree virtual tour of Kampong Glam
{{coord missing, Singapore
Places in Singapore
Protected areas of Singapore
Kallang
Rochor