Arab Street is the muslim center, along with North Bridge Rd, Pahang St, Aliwal St, Jalan Pisang and Jalan Sultan. This area has been long is a place for muslim community mingle in the glamour of Singapore city. You will find batik and sarung from Indonesia, rosaries, flower essences, hajj caps and songkok ( hats for muslim), and rottan goods.
You can start walking tours from Bugis MRT station, and walk in Victoria St to Arab St. Actually Arab St is a textile districts, while the big merchants inhibit the textile center in Jalan Sultan, Arab St is still alive with textiles shops selling batiks, silks and more mundane cloth for a sarung or shirt. A number of craft shops sell leather bags and souvenirs, and up toward the end of Arab St near Beach Rd are the caneware shops.
Sultan Mosque is the center for Singapore’s muslim community, it is on the corner of Arab St and North Bridge Rd. It is the largest mosque in Singapore and the most lively. You will find also Indian muslim food at restaurants across the street on North Bridge Rd. One street back toward the city is Haji Lane, narrow picturesque lane lined with two storey shophouses that contain a number of textile and other local businesses. Kazzura , at no. 51, is traditional perfume business with rows of decanters containing perfumes such as “Ramadan” and “Eid al Fitri” for the faithful.
If you have time for a detour north-east along Beach Rd, the Hajjah Fatimah Mosque is interesting. It is a monument built around 1845 by Melakan-born Malay woman Hajjah Fatimah, on the site of her home. The architecture shows colonial influences.
Otherwise, turn back up Arab St, heading north-east up Baghdad St from Arab St, you will find more batik and craft shops. During the month of Ramadan, when Muslims fast from sunrise to sunset, the area is alive with food stalls, especially on Bussorah St, one block east of Arab St, where the faithful come to buy food at dusk. Bussorah St has become the new yuppie Arab St. The old terrace have been renovated and palm trees have been planted to give that Middle Eastern oasis look.
If you turn left into Sultan Gate, you come into historic gates that lead to the Istana Kampong Glam. The “Istana” mean palace was the residence of Sultan Ali Iskandar Shah and was built around 1840. The Kampong Glam area is the historic seat of Malay royalty, resident here before the arrival of Stanford Raffles. In the early days of Singapore, it was allocated not only to the original Malay but also to Javanese, Bugis and Arab merchant and residents.
The palace was undergoing redevelopment and reopened on 2002 as a museum. You can walk to Kandahar St, behind the Sultan mosque. Muscat St winds behind the mosque back to Arab St, or you can continue up Kandahar St to North Bridge Rd. Cross over North Bridge Rd and you will find a number of venerable Indian halal restaurants selling “roti prata” ( a bread dish) and biryani.
Occupying the corner of Jalan Sultan and Victoria St, Malabar Muslim Jama-ath Mosque is a beautiful little mosque covered in blue tiles, which is at its fairy-tale best when lit up in the evening during Ramadan. Behind it is the old Kampong Glam cemetery, where it is said that the Malay royalty buried among the frangipani trees and coconut palms. Many of the graves have fallen into ruin, but more recent graves are tended, evidenced by clothes place over the headstones.
