We’re nearing the end of the Muslim month of Ramadan and many of us have colleagues or friends who are fasting, but how many actually know the reason behind this practice?

And how many more have had the chance to partake in an iftar or the break fast evening meal along with other Muslims in the Sultan Mosque?

I, along with a group of students from Tampines Junior College, managed to do just that on Wednesday, in a special tour organised by the Preservation of Monuments Board (PMB).

Called Kampong Gelam Mosques at Ramadan, this tour is part of the Festival at the Monument series which allows participants to discover more about Singapore’s built history through exciting and engaging festivities for one and all at Singapore’s national monuments.

The tour, led by PMB’s volunteer guide, Karine Hoffer, focused on mosques in Kampong Gelam and started off at Hajjah Fatimah Mosque along Beach Road. Together with the Sultan Mosque, the mosques are two of the oldest in Singapore and also two of the 64 national monuments in Singapore. (To find out which are the other 62, do visit PMB’s website!)

At Hajjah Fatimah Mosque, Karine gave us a brief history of the mosque outside, such as how it was named after an aristocratic Malay woman and built on the site of her former house.

After her house was ransacked by thieves, not once but twice, and also set on fire, the Malay lady from Malacca donated the land and money to build a mosque as a sign of gratitude that her life was spared. Interesting eh?

It is distinctive due to its minaret which looks like a Church spire. Mysteriously, no one knows who built the Church, though there is speculation that the man behind the St Andrew’s Cathedral, John Turnbull Thomson, built it as the minaret looks like the spire of the Cathedral.

She also pointed out the green Chinese designs on the minaret of the mosque, which gives the mosque an Oriental flair as well!

Inside, Karine not only brought us to the prayer hall (though we could not step inside as it is used exclusively for praying) and described how the prayer hall is skewed away from the street as Muslims must pray in the direction from Mecca. This is why all Mosques are similarly skewed away from the streets they are on.

Karine also brought us to a private enclosure at the back of the mosque where the graves of Hajjah Fatimah, along with her daughter and son-in-law are located.

After leaving Hajjah Fatimah, where the mosque personnel generously gave the Muslim students packets of porridge to break fast with, we headed to Bussorah Street.

We stopped momentarily outside the Istana Kampong Glam (now the Malay Heritage Centre) which Karine informed us was the historic home of the Malay Royalty in Singapore. In fact, the entire district of Kampong Gelam is the historic seat of the Malay royalty, and is a conserved area under URA.

We then made our way to Sultan Mosque and we were greeted by the quaint shop houses along the way and the wonderful sights and smells of a Ramadan Bazaar on Bussorah Street. I tried to avert my eyes as I was fasting but I could not resist sneaking glances at the burgers, assorted fried food and colourful drinks on display!

As we stood outside Sultan Mosque, it is easy to see why this is one of the most important mosques in Singapore. The golden dome of the mosque is resplendent and rises elegantly against the blue sky.

Karine also shared with us an interesting tidbit: the dome is flanked by a bluish ring made entirely of glass bottles donated by the poor. The next time you pass by the Sultan Mosque, do look up and see for yourself!

Inside the mosque, we were greeted by the Sultan Mosque Executive Docent Officer, Jason Wilson, who told us more about Ramadan and why it is special to the Muslims. Though I am a Muslim myself, I felt the presentation was useful as it gave an overview of Ramadan and also explained how Ramadan is not just about abstaining from food and drink but also a time to refrain from unsavoury behaviour, and to also remember the poor and the less fortunate.

After the presentation, we were led to the long tables outside the mosque, on which trays of food and drinks seemed to have magically appeared. The mosque has many volunteers who help to prepare the food and rightly so, as there were literally hundreds of people lining the tables, awaiting the call of the Maghrib prayer so that they could break their fast!

The male and female students had to sit on separate tables as is the Muslim custom, and Jason graciously shared more about Ramadan as he sat with the boys and shared the communal tray of rice. Some of the students were even game enough to eat with their hands!

I had the pleasure of sitting next to a teenage girl from Nigeria who shared with me that Ramadan in Singapore is not that much different to fasting in her country, although she did say that the weather in Singapore was hotter than in Nigeria!

For more info on PMB’s upcoming Festival at the Monument tours and other tours, do check out the PMB website. Next up is Monuments by the Moonlight on 10 September, where you will be brought on an evening lantern walk along Telok Ayer Street to visit the national monuments located there, as well as learn more about the Mid-Autumn Festival. There will also be a mooncake tasting session!

The Sultan Mosque conducts regular tours of the mosque for members of the public to learn more about the mosque and about the Muslim culture. For more info, do check out their website.