We ♥ Geylang Serai

Our Neighbourhoods

Urban Sketchers Singapore

ISBN: 978-981-461519-8
First Edition, October 2020
© 2020 Epigram Books

Cover design and map by Allan Siew
Front cover illustration by Vincent Pang
Back cover illustration by Chanel Hu
Edited by Gracia Ting and Lee Li Ying
Sketchwalk organised by Urban Sketchers Singapore

Published in Singapore by Epigram
www.epigrambooks.sg

All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying or otherwise without the prior written permission of the publisher.

Table of Contents

Historical Crossroads of the East

Map

Credit : Sketch by RONALD GOCHANCO

Credit : Sketch by RAUL SARIA

Historical Crossroads of the East

Geylang Serai is often confused with the general Geylang area bearing Lorongs 1 to 41. It is in fact a large district bounded by Paya Lebar Road and Jalan Eunos, where it includes a sub-district called Kampung Ubi. In the nineteenth century, this large plot was owned by Hajjah Fatimah, a wealthy Melakan lady of Bugis descent who built Hajjah Fatimah Mosque near Beach Road. The land was inherited by her son-in-law Syed Ahmed Alsagoff alias Nong Chik who then hired English managers to run Perseverance Estate. Initially coconuts were grown, giving rise to the name ‘Geylang Klapa’, before citronella or serai cultivation gave rise to its present name. The estate land gradually became a sprawling residential area of numerous Malay panggung houses (with raised floors), with major streets named Jalan Pasir, Jalan Alsagoff, and Lorong Engku Aman, named after Abdul Rahman bin Taha Alsagoff. It boasted a commercial centre around the eastern terminus of Singapore’s tram and later trolley bus network, including the Great Eastern Trade Fair where the market stands today.

Geylang Serai holds a special place in the hearts of many Malay Singaporeans. The area comes alive with the annual Ramadan bazaar. At its heart is a historical crossroad where a short street named Geylang Serai meets the arterial Geylang Road at the point where the latter becomes Changi Road. Here, one finds the only all-halal wet market in Singapore, first built by the HDB in 1964 to replace the older Changi and Joo Chiat Markets, while shops in the surrounding shophouses and the HDB’s Joo Chiat and Tanjong Katong Complexes cater to a Malay clientele, just like those found in the area before the urban renewal projects of the 1960s.

Imran bin Tajudeen
Assistant Professor of Architecture
National University of Singapore

Credit : Sketch by VINCENT PANG

Credit : Sketch by PHOCOLO ESTREMOS

Tanjong Katong Complex has been around since the early 1980s. It is known for its wide array of shops selling traditional clothing and textiles. It also housed Yokoso, Singapore’s first 24-hour supermarket and departmental store. Credit : Sketch by MICHAEL LEE

Credit : Sketch by FABIAN EE

Credit : Sketch by PHOCOLO ESTREMOS

“Old-timers don’t live here anymore, but they always come back, and Geylang Serai has become the place to meet old friends you haven’t seen in a while. We used to watch Hindustani films at Taj, Garrick and Queen’s, and after watching the films we’d go to Muzika Records to find the music booklets so we could sing along to the music. One KM mall used to be an open field where we would fly kites and play football. The circus and carnival would come every once in awhile and make camp there.”

– Shariffa Maimuna binte Syed Abdul Kader bin Syed Abdul Rahman Alsagoff

Credit : Sketch by CHEN SHU

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