Chinatown Stories | Updated as of August 2019

Masjid Jamae National monument Masjid Jamae attests to the cultural diversity of Chinatown and bears witness to the community life of Chulia immigrants in the 19th century.

Established as early as 1827, one of Singapore’s oldest , Masjid Jamae was built at 218 South Bridge Road near the former landing site of immigrants. For close to 200 years, its towering have been one of the most distinct landmarks on South Bridge Road.

History This iconic pale green was the first of three mosques in Chinatown built by Tamil Muslims, also known as Chulias. Back in the early 19th century, a large number of Chulia immigrants from the Coromandel Coast in southeast India, many of whom were traders and moneychangers, settled in Chinatown. Just seven years after Sir Stamford Raffles established a trading post in Singapore, these Chulia immigrants, led by Anser Sahib, erected the mosque. They also built the makam, a Malay shine or tomb for local religious leader Muhammad Salih Valinvah. Over the next few years between 1830 and 1835, the mosque was expanded to its present form today.

Masjid Jamae has many names, which reflect its importance in the community. It is commonly referred to as Masjid Chulia, in reference to its Chulia congregants. These congregants also call it Periya Palli (Tamil for "Big Mosque") or Chulia Palli (Tamil for "Chulia Mosque").

Another interesting moniker is Paalkaara Kadai Palli, which means ‘Milkman's Shop Mosque’. Until the 1950s, it was given this name because many Tamils used to milk their cows in the street adjacent to the mosque.

This mosque grew to become such a prominent landmark that Chulia immigrants who did not yet have a proper residential address would simply give the mosque’s location for their mail. Hence, it doubled as a postal collection point for many of Singapore’s pioneers.

During those days, mosques were constructed on donated lands placed in trust for the Muslim community. Rental properties were also placed in trust and the revenue collected would go towards the maintenance of the mosque. This practice is known as wakaf, Arabic for mortmain property or endowment.

In 1910, Masjid Jamae and two other mosques were managed by five trustees, and subsequently came under the care of the Mohammedan and Hindu Endowments Board in 1917, and afterward, the Islamic Religious Council of Singapore or Majlis Ugama Islam Singapura since 1968.

Architecture Designed by Irish architect George Coleman on 4,809 square metres of land, Masjid Jamae is an eclectic blend of Indian and European elements. While the mosque follows the urban planning grid designated by colonial authorities, the main prayer hall is oriented to face , the birthplace of the Prophet Muhammad in western Saudi Arabia.

Two twin octagonal minarets with onion-shaped tower over the mosque and reflect

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Chinatown Stories | Updated as of August 2019

South Indian Indo-Islamic influences. A miniature four-level palace façade adorned with little and links the two minarets above the mosque’s gate. There is also a little balcony above this gate where adhan or the call to prayer was made.

The entrance foyer leads to double-leaf timber doors, which open up to the main prayer room lined with rows of neoclassical Tuscan columns. This prayer hall features large windows for ventilation, with Chinese green-glazed tiles at the base. An onion-shaped niche known as the shows devotees the direction of the Islamic holy city. A minbar or pulpit is located next to it.

A true heritage gem, this mosque has managed to retain its original form for close to two centuries. Unlike most 19th century religious buildings, Masjid Jamae has not undergone any major rebuilding. Reconstruction plans drawn up in 1897, 1911 and 1986 were never carried out.

It has, however, been repaired and repainted over the years. The original colour of the building was a soft whitish beige which was subsequently painted pale green in the early 1990s, a shade of great importance in the Islamic faith.

Significance Masjid Jamae, a national monument, is a mosque that is significant to the Tamil Muslim community in Singapore. It was gazetted on 19 November 1974. Its land lease was also renewed for 999 years on 24 November 1981. Because of its historical, cultural and architectural prominence, the street that runs alongside it has been named Mosque Street.

One of the six mosques in Singapore that regularly conduct sermons in Tamil, it is an important place of worship for Chulias. Monthly Islamic talks, religious classes, as well as most of its Friday sermons are conducted in Tamil. However, because the mosque also serves other ethnic groups, some of its sessions are conducted in English and Malay as well.

With a capacity of 1,500 worshippers, Masjid Jamae serves not just devotees. Each day, it also opens its doors to hundreds of non-Muslim visitors and tourists. Most parts of the historical building, including the , are accessible to visitors.

Since 2002, its dawah (Arabic for ‘the proselytising of Islam’) officers have offered guided daily tours of the mosque, highlighting key features of the mosque, its role and activities, as well as the basic tenets of the Islamic faith. By opening up the mosque to visitors, the management hopes to share the Islamic faith with any who might be interested to find out more.

References:  http://eresources.nlb.gov.sg/infopedia/articles/SIP_520_2004-12-16.html  https://www.straitstimes.com/singapore/mosque-for-the-tamil-milkman  https://roots.sg/Content/Places/national-monuments/jamae-mosque  http://www.ghettosingapore.com/masjid-jamae-chulia-mosque/  https://www.visitsingapore.com/see-do-singapore/culture-heritage/places-of- worship/jamae-mosque/

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Chinatown Stories | Updated as of August 2019

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