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Bukit Timah Rd<br />
Area guide<br />
Kampong Glam<br />
Go here for... Malay/Arab culture and restaurants, carpet shops,<br />
hip clothing stores, and the Malay Heritage Centre<br />
Southeast of <strong>Little</strong> India is an enclave of streets and landmarks between Rochor<br />
Canal Road and Beach Road that is the Malay/Arab area of <strong>Singapore</strong>. It is still<br />
referred to by its original name, Kampong Glam (pronounced “Kampong Glum”), named<br />
after the gelam trees that grew in the area, or the Gelam tribe, or both. It was designated<br />
by Raffles as the site for Sultan Husain Shah’s palace after the Sultan had relinquished<br />
the island to the Brits, and soon became a gathering point for Malays, Indonesians<br />
from Java and merchants from the Middle East. The street names reflect this: you’ll find<br />
yourself wandering down Arab Street, Kandahar Street and Baghdad Street.<br />
Malay Heritage Centre 1 (85 Sultan Gate, +65 6391 0450, www.malayheritage.<br />
org.sg) tells the story of <strong>Singapore</strong>’s place in the Malay world. It has a fair number<br />
of historical objects and, a couple of dubious murals aside, the ground-floor<br />
displays successfully evoke the complex political, cultural and religious issues that<br />
shaped the Malay experience until the end of the 19th century. Upstairs is patchier,<br />
perhaps because the 20th-century story is more sanitised and politically selective.<br />
Nevertheless, there’s enough to give the visitor a valuable perspective on <strong>Singapore</strong>’s<br />
most significant ‘minority’ ethnic group. Ask about cultural performances on<br />
Wednesday and Sundays.<br />
26<br />
Hampshire Rd<br />
Northu<br />
5<br />
Race Course Rd<br />
Buffalo Rd<br />
Haji Lane<br />
Prinsep St<br />
Bras Basah R<br />
4<br />
1<br />
3<br />
Chander Rd<br />
Serangoon Rd<br />
Sungei Rd<br />
3<br />
Clive St<br />
Middle Rd<br />
Sultan Mosque<br />
Jin Besar<br />
Rochor Rd<br />
Piedra Negra<br />
Bencoolen Link<br />
Bencoolen St<br />
Waterloo St<br />
Queen St<br />
Ln<br />
Cuff Rd<br />
Dickson Rd<br />
Dunlop St<br />
7<br />
8<br />
2<br />
6<br />
7<br />
Perak Rd<br />
L<br />
Rowell Rd<br />
Baboo Ln<br />
Hindoo Rd<br />
Chitty Rd<br />
Upper Weld Rd<br />
Fitting well with the assortment of<br />
carpet sellers, Arab-influenced lounges<br />
also fill these streets. Stop by places<br />
like Alaturka 2 (16 Bussorah St, +65<br />
6294 0304, alaturka.com.sg) for kebabs<br />
and; Café Le Caire 3 (#01-01, 39 Arab<br />
St, +65 6292 0979, www.cafelecaire.<br />
com) an exotic tea-drinking hangout that<br />
serves a decent lamb shawarma roll;<br />
or Going Om 4 (63 Haji Ln, +65 6396<br />
3592, www.going-om.com), one of the<br />
few local establishments serving booze<br />
and something of a spiritual haven for the<br />
city’s minuscule hippy community set up<br />
along Haji Lane.<br />
6<br />
Victoria St<br />
Veerasamy Rd<br />
Kampong Kapor Rd<br />
8<br />
1<br />
North Bridge St<br />
Jin Besar<br />
ch Rd<br />
27<br />
Jin Pinang<br />
Haji Lane<br />
Bati Ln<br />
Ophir Rd<br />
Stop by BluJaz Cafe 9 (11 Bali Ln,<br />
+65 6292 3800, www.blujaz.net) for<br />
some live tunes: the three floors are full<br />
of the warm, rootsy, experimental flavour.<br />
Around the corner, the same owners have<br />
branched out into Mexican flavours with<br />
Piedra Negra 10 (241 Beach Rd, +65<br />
6291 1297), also attracting bustling<br />
crowds and often offering live Latin beats.<br />
y<br />
Victoria St<br />
Kampong Glam<br />
Arab St<br />
4 6 7<br />
4<br />
6<br />
Don’t miss...<br />
Haji Lane<br />
Haji Lane 5 is a rich<br />
hunting ground for offbeat<br />
designer labels, vintage<br />
clothing stores and a<br />
handful of vibrant bars<br />
and cafés. WanderWonder<br />
6 (65A Haji Ln, +65 6396<br />
8621, www.facebook.com/<br />
wanderwondersg) is a hip<br />
local menswear label aimed<br />
at the modern gentleman;<br />
Threadbare & Squirrel 7<br />
(43 Haji Ln, +65 6396 6738,<br />
www.threadbareandsquirrel.<br />
com) has a cleverly curated<br />
selection of clothing and<br />
accessories; and Pluck 8<br />
(31-33 Haji Ln, +65 6396<br />
4048, pluck.com.sg) has<br />
home accessories and unique<br />
jewellery.<br />
9<br />
9<br />
7<br />
North Bridge Rd<br />
Muscat St<br />
10<br />
Kandahar St<br />
3<br />
1<br />
Sultan Gate<br />
2<br />
Beach Rd<br />
Aliwal St<br />
Jin Sultan<br />
Baghdad St Pahang St<br />
48<br />
1<br />
2<br />
Ophir Rd<br />
5<br />
Blvd