Combining lifestyle with heritage at Kampong Glam

Posted by oceanskies79 under Heritage Sites and Trails, Lifestyle
(13) Comments • (6684) Reads • Permalink

Haji Lane. Kampong Glam area. Singapore.

Many of my peers (I am in my late twenties) would probably be familiar with Bugis Junction mall. Surprisingly, quite a number of my peers are quite unaware of the existence of idyllic Kampong Glam area even though it is just about five minutes walk away from Bugis Junction .

This post is my humble attempt to share with my contemporaries a little more about Kampong Glam. One does not need to travel too far to combine lifestyle with heritage. Kampong Glam is one of those places in Singapore where one can do so.

One good place to start when one is visiting Kampong Glam would be Haji Lane. It is within walking distance from Bugis MRT station.

I am falling in love with Haji Lane. While the shophouses there aren’t very lavish, I love them for they somehow looked simple and unpretentious. Below are the photos that I have taken of Haji Lane:

I knelt down to take this shot. Somehow, I like the tranquility of this little lane.

I find these cushions and carpet lying outside one of the shophouses to be very interesting.

The shop looked like it has been around for ages.

I am in the opinion that no visit to Kampong Glam area would be complete without visiting the Sultan Mosque and the Malay Heritage Centre. Please do set aside time to visit these two landmarks. In addition, it is recommended that visitors to Kampong Glam walk along the scenic Bussorah Street that would lead one to the majestic looking Sultan Mosque.

Bussorah Street

Sultan Mosque. Look at the dark-green-colour base of the dome of Sultan Mosque. Make a guess what it is made of.

Malay Heritage Centre (also known by many as the Istana Kampong Glam). Istana Kampong Glam was the historic seat of the Malay royalty of Singapore.

At the Malay Heritage Centre

For the purpose of this post, I shall not write too much about the significiance of Sultan Mosque and the Malay Heritage Centre. More about these two landmarks and Kampong Glam can be found by visiting the following links:
http://www.mosque.org.sg/sultan
http://www.malayheritage.org.sg/reflection.html
http://www.mosque.org.sg/sultan/kglam.html

I am very biased. After visiting both Sultan Mosque and the Malay Heritage Centre, I would usually visit the restaurant, Alaturka, to have my meals there. The food there is generally delicious and affordable. The mutton dishes there are pretty good. Service there may not be the fastest in town, but I find the waitresses there fairly helpful and attentive.

Apple Tea.

Meze Tabagi. Assorted mixed salads.

Lavash

Pide

Kunefe. Nice, but very sweet. It is wiser to share this dessert among a few people.

Interior of Alaturka

Of course, there are many other nice food establishments and cafes located within Kampong Glam (here’s one useful link). If you should find what had been covered to be interesting so far, please consider making a trip to Kampong Glam to check it out yourself. It is quite accessible even for folks like myself who does not drive and relies on public transport. More importantly, after pampering oneself with lovely food and relaxing moments, don’t forget to treat oneself to some heritage-related experiences. For example, one could visit the Malay Heritage Centre or even admire the beautiful architecture of Sultan Mosque.

Life is pretty good when lifestyle and heritage meet each other. Won’t you think so?

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(13) Comments

Posted by: HomeSafe
Posted on: June 15th, 2007

Nice post and introduction to Kampong Glam.About the material used on the dome of Sultan Mosque...Is it GOLD..? hmm...or partially gold plus other materials? "Sultan Mosque. Look at the dark-green-colour base of the dome of Sultan Mosque. Make a guess what it is made of."

Posted by: oceanskies79
Posted on: June 15th, 2007

HomeSafe: It is such a simple material that some may not have thought of it. It is certainly not gold. Noel knows the answer.

Posted by: HomeSafe
Posted on: June 18th, 2007

Hi Oceanskies79, Hmmm, is it some glass bottles or tin cans? Or Some other resources available in the past? :)

Posted by: oceanskies79
Posted on: June 18th, 2007

Yes, HomeSafe. Those are glass bottles. There is a story behind those glass bottles...

If you were to read Singapore: The Encyclopedia, you would learn that these glass bottles were donations from the poor. In short, one could say that Sultan Mosque has been made possible with the contributions from everyone in the community: young and old, rich and poor.

Posted by: HomeSafe
Posted on: June 19th, 2007

Hi Oceanskies79, I see, thanks for the enlightenment :)

Posted by: oceanskies79
Posted on: June 22nd, 2007

You are most welcome. HomeSafe, you can even check out Sultan Mosque's visiting hours, and if you were to wear appropriate clothings (long pants and long sleeves prefreably), you can enter the mosque to take a look at its nice architecture.

Posted by: Vindhya
Posted on: June 29th, 2007

I found your article and pictures of Haji Lane very interesting. I agree with you that very few people seem to know or appreciate this little marvel of a lane hidden away between Arab street and Bugis, but maybe that's why they don't know it! It is one of my favourite lanes in Singapore and i visit it often to go have shisha and some Egytian food at Altazzaq which is the place with the carpet and cushions outside in one of your photos. Glad to find another Haji Lane enthusiast! cheers!

Posted by: oceanskies79
Posted on: June 29th, 2007

Vindhya: Thank you for coming by to Yesterday.sg Haji Lane is a very interesting lane. I had wanted to try the food at Altazzaq on one occasion, but the music that was played then puts me off, and I decided to go for Alaturka's food. It seems that shisha is quite popular. But I prefer not to smoke.

Posted by: Titanic97
Posted on: August 2nd, 2009

I Need The Kampong Glam Transport Fast Can You Please Add It In?

Posted by: oceanskies79
Posted on: August 2nd, 2009

Hi Titanic, do you mean that you would like the directions to get to Kampong Glam using public transport? Take the MRT to Bugis MRT Station, Singapore. When you are there, head towards the direction of Raffles Hospital. Then walk towards Haji Lane, Arab Street.