Yesterday, our group made a trip down to..
Kampong Glam!
To start off, I'd like to give some background information of the Malay Culture and Kamong Glam - In Malay, the word "Kampung" means "village or settlement" and "Glam" is the name of a particular tree, which grew in abundance in the area in early Singapore. In the beginning, Kampong Glam was a fishing village situated at the mouth of Rochor River. It became more populated and grew into prominence after the Sultan of Singapore, Hussein Mohammed Shah and the Temenggong signed a treaty with the East India Company in 1819.
Above is the Sultan Mosque
Unique Characteristics of Kampong Glam
There is a variety of rich heritage passed down from generation to generation. Some of these long enduring traditions are in the form of monuments, trades, cultures and practices. Conservation of places of worship, old school, old dwellings, some of which are still in their original form while others have been refurbished. These rich remains give a hint of the architecture and life style of the early days. Such diverse rich heritage can only come about through a sense of tolerance, sharing and bonding, all encapsulated in the Kampong Glam spirit.
Walking down the streets, we realized that like Little India and Chinatown, Kampong Glam has been restored, refurbished and new life breathed into it, bringing back the former colour and vibrancy of the area. We found rows of conserved shophouses in Arab Street, Baghdad Street and Bussorah Street. Many of these shophouses have new tenants such as design and IT firms, art galleries, crafts and curios shops, food caterers and restaurants. They blend in with traditional businesses like textile and carpet shops, blacksmiths and shops selling religious items used by Muslims which we found amazing because in this way, the modern culture and traditional one(s) can actually co-exist! It is also an area of good restaurants, from Malaysian coffee shops and bakeries to fine modern European dining, like Le Pont De Vie. Sadly, we didn't manage to get a taste of these delicacies ):
Reference: http://www-singapore.com/kampong-glam/index.html
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