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Hajjah Fatimah Mosque

This mosque was named after a wealthy female philanthropist, Hajjah Fatimah.  She was quite possibly the first woman entrepreneur and she donated the land and money to build the mosque sometime between 1845 and 1846.  The mosque’s minaret is about 6 degrees off vertical.  The mosque was gazetted as a National Monument on 6 July 1973.

Nagore Dargah

Along Telok Ayer Street is the Nagore Dargaha.  This Muslim place of worship was built by Indian Muslims, known as the Chulias, between 1828 and 1830.  The mosque was originally named Masjid Moulana Mohammad Ally.  It was later renamed in memory of holy man Shahul Hamid Dargah of Nagore, South India.  The mosque was gazetted as a National Monument on 29 November 1974.

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Abdul Gaffoor Mosque

In Singapore’s ‘Little India’ known as Tekka, one can find the Abdul Gaffoor Mosque in Dunlop Street.  The mosque had its beginnings as a simple building in 1881.  Its trustee, Shaik Abdul Gaffoor Shaik Hyder, a lawyer’s clerk, built shophouses in the area allocated for the mosque and rented them out to raise funds to build the mosque.  Work on the present structure began in 1907 and was completed in 1910.  The architecture is a combination of Arab and Victorian styles.  It was gazetted a National Monument in 1979.

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PLACES OF WORSHIP

In Singapore, a significant number of religious places of worship have been gazetted as national monuments.  These important landmarks reflect the multi-religious nature of Singapore society.  Many of these religious landmarks also have a long history dating back to the early immigrant communities who settled down in 19th century Singapore.

Most of the early places of worship were located in the town area, especially around Telok Ayer Street which used to abut the sea, as well as in South Bridge Road.  The most interesting streets in Singapore in so far as religious monuments are concerned are Waterloo Street where you can find the Maghain Aboth Synagogue, the Kwan Im Thong Hood Cho Temple, and the Sri Krishnan Temple; and Telok Ayer Street, home to the Thian Hock Keng Temple, the Al-Abrar Mosque, Telok Ayer Methodist Church and Nagore Dargah Mosque.

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The Malay Cultural Centre (former Istana Kampong Glam)

The Malay Cultural Centre is in the heart of Kampong Gelam (sometimes spelt ‘Glam’), one of the earliest Malay settlements.  The building was once known as Istana Kampung Gelam and was the palace of the family and followers of Sultan Hussein Mohamed Shah, the man Stamford Raffles brought in from Pulau Penyengat in Riau to become the titular head of his new-found colony.

In 1820, the Istana occupied an area twice the size of the present compound.  This property was halved when Victoria Street was built across the compound.

Over time, the compound and building became dilapidated.  In 1999, the Malay Heritage Foundation was formed to restore the premises and building so as to transform it into a beautiful and meaningful Malay Heritage Centre.  The museum’s 9 galleries present the history, culture, role and contributions of Singapore’s Malay community.

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The Empress Place Museum was originally built as a Court House and it housed the Supreme Court of the Straits Settlements from 1867 to 1877.  The building was designed by Colonial Engineer, John Frederick Adolphus McNair.  In 1877, the Court moved back to its original home (Old Parliament House or now, the Arts House) and the Empress Place complex was transformed into a building for Government departments, and at one time, the entire colonial bureaucracy.  To locals, it was simply known as Government Offices.  In 1907, it was renamed Empress Place in memory of the late Queen Victoria.

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Asian Civilisations Museum (Empress Place Building)

The Asian Civilisation Museum at Empress Place is next to the Victoria Theatre and Concert Hall.  The Empress Place Building houses the second wing of the Asian Civilisations Museum (ACM) and focuses on Southeast, South and West Asian collections.

The Empress Place Building was built in 1865 and was named after Queen Victoria, Queen of England and Empress of India.  The building housed many government departments in its history, including the Registry of Births and Deaths.  It was gazetted as a National Monument on 14 February 1992.

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Asian Civilisation Museum (Armenian Street)

The first Asian Civilisations Museum (ACM) is also located in the Civic District, along Armenian Street.  It opened on 22 April 1997.  Among its galleries focusing on Southeast Asian Civilisations is a permanent exhibition known as the Peranakan Legacy.  The Peranakan culture is a blend of Chinese, Malay and European cultures.

The ACM building was previously the home of the well-known Tao Nan School for about 70 years until the school moved to Marine Parade in the mid-1980s.  Plans are afoot to convert this museum into a Peranakan-themed museum by 2008.  It was gazetted as a National Monument in 1998.

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