Kampong Glam

From Singapore Hotels & Singapore Lifestyle

Kampong Glam, the Muslim centre of Singapore, is a mere 15-minute walk southeast from Little India. Stamford Raffles, on his second visit to the island, sketched a masterplan for his trading entrepot that divided urban Singapore into various ethnic districts including Kampong Glam. Stamford Raffles allocated this area, a neighbouring district of Little India, to Sultan Hussein Shah, the Malay ruler of Singapore who signed two treaties with Stamford Raffles in 1819 and 1824, ceding the island to the British. The sultan built a palace for his family and homes for his royal retainers who had followed him from Riau.

1 List of all articles on Kampong Glam
2 Orientation
3 Top 5 Things-To-Do
4 Tourist Attractions
5 Shopping
6 Eating
- 6.1 Restaurants
- 6.2 Cafes
7 Drinking
8 Popular Searches

List of all articles on Kampong Glam

Kampong Glam's name derives from "kampung", the Malay for village, and "gelam", a type of tree used for boat-building that once grew here when Beach Road was actually on the seafront. The name means "Village of the Glam Tree" ("Melaleuca Leucadendron") in Malay. The bark of these trees had medicinal value and was used by the Malays to caulk their ships, although it would be difficult to find a glam tree in the area today.

Today, the neighbourhood is landlocked, but in former times it ran along the shore (hence the name Beach Road) with many of its Houses built on stilts above the tidal mudflats. Much of Kampong Glam was mangrove swamp when it was drained in the 1820s. The area of Kampong Glam was once a thriving area, filled with merchants and famous for its printing houses. Not too long ago however, it was a virtual ghost town, particularly after dark. But the area immediately surrounding the Sultan Mosque has seen a resurgence recently, and now after dark has become a focal point for a strange social mix of the Middle Eastern community and the city's trendy, alternative youth, who come here to indulge in "sheesha" smoking, the latest hip pastime. After years of neglect, Bussorah Street has burst into life again and been transformed into one of the most attractive streets in the city. The old Shophouses have been beautifully restored and are now occupied by Cafes, Shops, Galleries, an excellent Hostel and even a Spa. Behind Arab Street, the narrow backstreet of Haji Lane has developed a scene of its own, with alternative record shops, offbeat Boutiques and some more superb Middle Eastern cafes.

Around the rest of the area, among the mouldering Buildings, the occasional trendy renovated Shophouse Architect or design company gives off a clear signal that Kampong Glam is undergoing a slow transformation.

It's still small scale; quieter, much less Touristed and, dare we say, more pleasant than Little India or Chinatown. It's worth visiting now, before it really takes off.

Orientation

Head southeast from Serangoon Road along Upper Weld Road and you'll enter Kampong Glam. This quarter is roughly bounded by Victoria Street, Jalan Sultan and Beach Road, all immediately northeast of Bugis MRT Station. The areas around Arab Street are the centres of attraction. Heading south from Arab Street along Beach Road or North Bridge Road will bring you to Raffles Hotel and the Colonial District.

Top 5 Things-To-Do

Shopping on Bussorah Street
Enjoying mint tea and sheesha pipes at Cafe Le Caire on Arab Street
Indulging in a bargain vegetarian pig-out at Ananda Bhavan

Tourist Attractions

Kampong Glam has various interesting Tourist Attractions.

Shopping

A wander around Kampong Glam is a browser's delight - and a thoroughly different experience from the air-conditioned order of Orchard Road and the Colonial District. At Bussorah Street, you'll find a newly resurgent pedestrian strip filled with Arts, Crafts, Antiques and Cafes.