Little India/Arab Street

Singapore’s ethnic pockets II

Another great walking district is Little India and Arab Street.  Visiting Little India is a bit like going to New Delhi, except it’s much cleaner in comparison and there aren’t random animals walking around.  I arrived around the time of Diwali, so there were plenty of glittering decorations around store fronts and street stalls but my favorites were definitely the flower garland vendor stalls and sweets shops.  Originally a racecourse area frequented by Europeans and then populated by Indians as cattle trading took off, this is a great area to try out roti prata and curries.  Even if you don’t eat curry, you’ll come out of the area smelling like you have! 

Arab Street is lined with shops selling spices and textiles.  Back in the late 1800s, the area was owned by an Arab merchant and many Bugis seamen (a major ethnic group mostly based in the province of Sulawesi, Indonesia) inhabited the area.  Haji Lane in Arab Town is a cute alleyway that houses quaint second hand shops and bars.  Also a must-see is the Masjid Sultan Mosque which can be spotted from afar.  This majestic Muslim mosque was built by Sultan Hussain Shah of Johore, who signed the British treaties to give up the island to the British.  He built a mosque in his own name but it had fallen into disrepair by the early 1920s and the one standing was newly completed in 1928.