KAMPONG GLAM : Discovering a Rich Cultural Heritage District


Kampong Glam is one of the famous districts in Singapore. Originally, it was designated for the first Sultan in Singapore, given by the England's government, under Sir Stamford Raffles's reign, in 1820s. Sultan Hussain Mohammed Shah started to build the Moslem community and designed the first mosque. Due to its popularity, the mosque was redesigned bigger, to fulfill the needs of the people. So, in 1928, the new Sultan Mosque was opened publicly. 

The name of Kampong Glam is taken from Kampung, means village and Gelam, the type of tree that grew in the area and used for ships. At first, the Malay-Arabs communities that lived in the area, until there were immigrants from Sumatera, Indonesia and Mallaca, Malays. The area started to be more diverse, shown from the new kampongs, like Kampong Java and Kampong Bugis.






Sultan Mosque


Sultan Mosque was built in 1824 for Sultan Hussein Shah. The new mosque architecture is one of Indo-Saracenic buildings. Indo-Saracenic style was introduced by British colonial government. It is usually used for Indian buildings that has the character grand-scale, Asian touch with British style. The architect for Sultan Mosque is Denis Santry from Swan & Maclaren. Later, this building is listed as national monument.

The visitor can get inside the mosque, through gate 5. Please take note that the mosque is divided between man and woman, so you have to take attention to it. There is different opening hours at Friday (Tradition for Moslem to have a pray every Friday, at noon). There are several notes for the visitors (taken from the official website), such as

1. Visitors are only allowed to enter via the Main Entrance only (facing Bussorah Street)
2. Must be properly attired. Robes are available at the mosque counter and will be issued on first come first serve basis. Alternatively, you may consider to ensure that your clothes abide by the dress code as follow:
  • Male : Sleeved Tops & Long Pants
  • Female : Long-sleeved Tops, No Cleavage & Bottoms Down to Ankle
  • Students : Sleeved Tops & Track Pants
  • Clothes Must Not be See-through

3. Remove footwear and observe strict cleanliness.
4. To observe respect and maintain silence.
5. Visitors are not allowed to enter the Main Prayer Hall & 2nd Floor Prayer Hall except with the company of mosque official.
6. Photography without flash is allowed. Approval is required for video filming.
7. Keep your belongings with you at all times.
8. In doubt, please approach the staff on duty.










There are many souvenir shops that sell authentic thingy from Arab/Turkey. It is the same as well the culinary in this district. Not only middle-east food, you can also find Indonesian restaurant here. 


Opening hour : 
  • 10.00 AM - 12.00 PM, 02.00 PM - 04.00 PM (Saturdays to Thursday)
  • 02.30 PM - 04.00 PM (Friday)
Entrance fee : Free


SULTAN MOSQUE
3 Muscat Street
Singapore 198833

KAMPONG GLAM
Singapore
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