My Reflection (Ali)

I have learnt a lot of things from this project. Personally, it has helped me to learn more about my Malay heritage and I can pass this knowledge on by sharing with my family.

Working in a team has also helped me to know my classmates better. I am glad to have the chance to work with them and the experience was very enjoyable. I also enjoy reading other groups' blogs because they are very interesting. The project also helped me to relate better to what Miss Chee has taught me in class about conservation and heritage sites.

Interesting Fact #5: Istana Kampong Glam

We also visited the Malay Heritage Centre. The centre has a land area of 8,000 square metre and is located at Sultan Gate of Kampong Glam. It was launched on November 27 in 2004 and we managed to find a lot of information about the heritage, culture and history of Malay Singaporeans there.

One interesting fact we found out about the heritage centre is that it was previously the Istana Kampong Glam, or the Sultan’s Palace. In 1999, the Malay Heritage Foundation started a 5-year restoration project and the building was renamed the Malay Heritage Centre after the restoration.

The place was built in 1840.


This is a model made of the place.


The place is very serene and tranquil. We think that the Sultans who had lived there were so lucky to live in such a beautiful place. We felt like royalties as we explored the former Malay palace with our teachers and friends!

Interesting Fact #4: Street Shops and Interview with the Shop Auntie

We were walking along the streets and we saw a little stand that selling little interesting things. There were quite a few such stands. Here's a closer look at the things they are selling.



The shop auntie there told us that these are games that children in the past loved to play. They did not have computer games in those days so the boys liked to play games such as Chapteh and Gasing.The girls liked to play Five Stones. We bought some so that we can ask our parents to teach us how to play those games! Can you also see those tube-like things with mini straws? We can blow bubble-like balloons with them. We had great fun blowing them!

We asked the shop auntie what else did the shops in Kampong Glam used to sell or still sell. She told us that around the corner along Arab Street there were a lot of textile shops. They also sell rattan furniture and carpets there. In the past, Muslim men would also go to Kampong Glam to buy their "songkoks". A songkok is a traditional Malay cap worn by men. The picture here shows what Arab Street today looks like.

Interesting Fact #3: Fire! (in 1847)

Our group watched a video in the Malay Heritage Centre and we found out that there was a fire that broke out in Kampong Glam on 12 February 1847. We all did not know that before. It was quite a big fire because 250 houses were destroyed. We saw a map that showed how the fire spread quite a distance along Kampong Glam and destroyed the shophouses there.

Interesting Fact #2: The Gelam Tree

Do you know what this tree is? It is the Gelam tree, which is how Kampong Glam got its name! There were many Gelam trees in the area in the past. It has commercial and medicinal uses. Its bark was used to treat headaches and it was material for boat-making. This is because its wood is hard and durable in water. Now I know what kind of wood I should use if I want to make my own boat! :)

Interesting Fact #1: The Adhan

Around lunchtime, I suddenly heard a loud voice being broadcast through some loud speakers at the Malay Heritage Centre. It sounded like a melodious chant. I could not understand what was being said. When I asked the woman behind the counter what it was, I found out that it was known as the adhan, the Islamic call to prayer at mid-day. It is to inform the Muslims to gather at the mosque to pray. My groupmate Ali told me that Muslims pray five times a day and they will know when to pray through this call to prayer. I recorded a short video clip of it when I heard it. Here it is:


This is the nearby mosque called Sultan Mosque. It looks quite grand!

Introduction

We're the Heritage Hunters Group 1 and our group comprises of Rose, Iris, Ali, Michelle, and Deepak. We chose to visit Kampong Glam for our social studies project on heritage sites because we felt that it is a place we want to know more about. We also wanted to find out more about the Malay Heritage.

                              Rose                          Iris                         Ali

                                            Michelle                  Deepak