Bazaar-style Shopping : Forget the sterile feeling shopping malls department stores of Orchard Road. On Arab Street you feel as though you're shopping in the past. Handicrafts and textiles are everywhere. Chiffon and French lace, Thai silk and cottons; you pick it up or point at it and ask the shop keeper, "how much." They give you a price. You try to look appalled and offer half as much. And the game begins.
The area has much more than fabric; but silk and batik have made Arab Street famous. Shops close at noon on Friday and are not open on Sunday.
The Sultan Mosque: The Sultan Mosque is probably the biggest non-shopping tourist draw for Arab Street. If you are dress modestly you can enter the mosque and look around. Being there at one of the daily prayer times is a memorable cultural experience. The mosque was founded in the 1820's but the current building dates to 1928.
Istana Kampong Gelam: Istana Kampong Gelam, the palace of the Sultan for much of the 19th Century, is now the Malay Heritage Centre. It opened in late 2004. The museum is dedicated to the history, culture, and arts of Singapore's Malay community. There are cultural shows complete with live music and Malay dance at the museum three times each day (10am, 11:30am, and 3:30pm).
Baghdad Street: Arab Street is both a street and a designation usually used for a larger area that also gets called Kampong Gelam. So there are many streets within the Arab Street area. Baghdad Street is where the area's besty food can be found. There are a number of cafes and restaurants on Baghdad Street. Zam Zam's (named for the Well of Zam Zam in Mekkah) sits across from the Sultan Mosque and is probably the most popular restaurant. Cafe Samar, near the corner of Baghdad and Bussorah streets, serves Arab food often has a belly dancer performing for the diners. Many of the restaurants have waterpipes (shishas) for you to smoke.
Other Mosques: Malabar Muslim Jama-ath Mosque and Hajjah Fatimah Mosque are both interesting and wortht a look if you have the time. Malabar Muslim Jama-ath Mosque is (in my opinion) the most beautiful of Singapore's mosques. As the name implies, it serves Muslims of South Indian origin. Hajjah Fatimah Mosque is an interesting mix of Chinese, European, and Middle Eastern architectural styles.
Getting There: The Bugis MRT station is the closest MRT station to Arab Street.
The Islamic Heart of Singapore: Singapore is a multicultural community with four official languages - Mandarin Chinese, English, Tamil, and Malay. While those four languages represent the country's largest ethnic communities, Singapore's diversity is much greater then that. And among the history components of Singapore's ethnic diversity there is a small community of Arabs.
Arab Street was probably named to honor the Arab community, not to reflect its size. But the place of the Arab community is the history is significant. And it must be remembered that when the region's colonial history began, Singapore was a Muslim area; the Chinese community in both Malaysia and Singapore were transpanted to the region by the British to serve as laborers.
When the British took over the Island of Singapore the ceded and area called Kampong Gelam to the Sultan of Johore. He built a palace and a mosque there and the area became the heart of Singapore's Muslim community.
Today, "Kampong Gelam" (sometimes spelled "Glam") and "Arab Street" are terms that get used as synonyms.
The Arab Street area is a rich shopping destination with a wealth of fabric and textile stores, ethnic handicrafts, and a smattering of other items. Silks and batik cloths abound. But you can find almost any fabric there.
Shopping in Arab Street is a far different experience from shopping along Singapore's Orchard Road. The high tech, air-conditioned, shopping mall atmosphere Orchard Road (with a McDonalds always not far away) is replaced by the feel of a Middle Eastern souk, or bazaar, with family-owned store fronts where Malay grandparents will help you cut your cloth from the bolt and with dimly lit restauraunts where you can get excellent curry and perhaps smoke a water pipe or maybe even watch a belly dancer while you eat...
The Sultan Mosque is the area's biggest single attraction after shopping. If you are dressed appropriately, entering the mosque during one of the daily prayer times to watch the rituals is a memorable cultural experience.
The sultan's old palace, Istana Kampong Gelam, is another interesting attraction. The palace has been turned into a cultural museum.
A visit to Arab Street will allow you a glimpse into the various Muslim communities that come together in Singapore. While Malays are perhaps the largest part of that community and the small Arab community holds a significant place in it, there are also Javanese, Bugis from Sulawasi, Minangkabau from Sumatra, and Indian Muslims.
