Aljunied is a sub-urban area located in the central part of the
city-state
A city-state is an independent sovereign city which serves as the center of political, economic, and cultural life over its contiguous territory. They have existed in many parts of the world since the dawn of history, including cities such as ...
of
Singapore
Singapore (), officially the Republic of Singapore, is a sovereign island country and city-state in maritime Southeast Asia. It lies about one degree of latitude () north of the equator, off the southern tip of the Malay Peninsula, borde ...
. Named after
Aljunied Road, it was formerly agricultural land which has since been heavily urbanised and presently comprises a variety of land uses. Today, Aljunied is a bustling neighbourhood with
HDB flats with amenities like shops, schools, parks and recreational facilities, as well as quite a number of traditional Singaporean shophouses.
Etymology
Aljunied Road was officially named in 1926 after Syed Sharif Omar bin Ali Al Junied (died 1852), who owned large tracts of agricultural land in the area.
Syed Sharif Omar bin Ali Al Junied was a wealthy
Hadhrami Arab
The Arabs (singular: Arab; singular ar, عَرَبِيٌّ, DIN 31635: , , plural ar, عَرَب, DIN 31635, DIN 31635: , Arabic pronunciation: ), also known as the Arab people, are an ethnic group mainly inhabiting the Arab world in Wester ...
merchant
A merchant is a person who trades in commodities produced by other people, especially one who trades with foreign countries. Historically, a merchant is anyone who is involved in business or trade. Merchants have operated for as long as indust ...
from
Palembang
Palembang () is the capital city of the Indonesian province of South Sumatra. The city proper covers on both banks of the Musi River on the eastern lowland of southern Sumatra. It had a population of 1,668,848 at the 2020 Census. Palemban ...
, where he had set up business after migrating from his hometown in
Tarim,
Yemen
Yemen (; ar, ٱلْيَمَن, al-Yaman), officially the Republic of Yemen,, ) is a country in Western Asia. It is situated on the southern end of the Arabian Peninsula, and borders Saudi Arabia to the north and Oman to the northeast an ...
.
He was also a highly respected man, looked upon by the
Malays
Malays may refer to:
* Malay race, a racial category encompassing peoples of Southeast Asia and sometimes the Pacific Islands
** Overseas Malays, people of Malay race ancestry living outside Malay archipelago home areas
** Cape Malays, a communit ...
as a
prince
A prince is a Monarch, male ruler (ranked below a king, grand prince, and grand duke) or a male member of a monarch's or former monarch's family. ''Prince'' is also a title of nobility (often highest), often hereditary title, hereditary, in s ...
. Syed Omar came from the well-respected Arab family who were
descendants of
Islamic prophet
Prophets in Islam ( ar, الأنبياء في الإسلام, translit=al-ʾAnbiyāʾ fī al-ʾIslām) are individuals in Islam who are believed to spread God's message on Earth and to serve as models of ideal human behaviour. Some prophets a ...
Muhammad
Muhammad ( ar, مُحَمَّد; 570 – 8 June 632 CE) was an Arab religious, social, and political leader and the founder of Islam. According to Islamic doctrine, he was a prophet divinely inspired to preach and confirm the monot ...
. He was a nephew of Syed Mohammed bin Harun Al Junied, who also came from
Palembang
Palembang () is the capital city of the Indonesian province of South Sumatra. The city proper covers on both banks of the Musi River on the eastern lowland of southern Sumatra. It had a population of 1,668,848 at the 2020 Census. Palemban ...
to Singapore before the
founding of modern Singapore
The establishment of a British trading post in Singapore in 1819 by Sir Stamford Raffles led to its founding as a British colony in 1824. This event has generally been understood to mark the founding of colonial Singapore, a break from its sta ...
in 1819.
Syed Omar was a
philanthropist
Philanthropy is a form of altruism that consists of "private initiatives, for the Public good (economics), public good, focusing on quality of life". Philanthropy contrasts with business initiatives, which are private initiatives for private goo ...
and his charitable acts included donating what is now called
Jalan Kubor Cemetery, a large plot of land in
Victoria Street for the purposes of a Muslim
burial ground
A cemetery, burial ground, gravesite or graveyard is a place where the remains of dead people are burial, buried or otherwise interred. The word ''cemetery'' (from Greek language, Greek , "sleeping place") implies that the land is specifical ...
, the construction of a
mosque
A mosque (; from ar, مَسْجِد, masjid, ; literally "place of ritual prostration"), also called masjid, is a Place of worship, place of prayer for Muslims. Mosques are usually covered buildings, but can be any place where prayers (sujud) ...
in Bencoolen Street and Masjid Kampong Melaka, renamed
Masjid Omar Kampong Melaka
Masjid Omar Kampong Melaka (or ''Omar Kampong Malacca Mosque''; Jawi alphabet, Jawi: مسجد عمر کامڤوڠ ملاک) is a mosque in Singapore, and is located at Keng Cheow Street in the Singapore River Planning Area, within the Central Area ...
in his honour. The land where
St Andrew's Cathedral stands was also donated by him. He and his family contributed largely to the setting up of the
Tan Tock Seng Hospital
Tan Tock Seng Hospital ( abbreviation: TTSH) is a tertiary referral hospital in Singapore, located in Novena. The hospital has 45 clinical and allied health departments, 16 specialist centres and is powered by more than 8,000 healthcare staff ...
. Syed Omar's descendants continue to reside in Singapore.
In 1927, one of his descendants, Syed Abdul Rahman Aljunied, built the
Madrasah Aljunied Al-Islamiah on a vacant ground next to
Jalan Kubor Cemetery in commemoration of his grandfather, Syed Omar. Madrasah Aljunied was a leading Islamic religious school which produced many religious leaders of Southeast Asian countries.
Education
Kindergarten
* St Magdalene's Kindergarten
Primary schools
* Canossa Catholic Primary School
* Geylang Methodist School (Primary)
* CHIJ Our Lady of Good Counsel
* red swastika school
Secondary schools
*
Geylang Methodist School (Secondary)
* MacPherson Secondary School(Has been removed)
Special schools
* Canossian School
Politics
The Aljunied area falls along a stretch that falls under the
Marine Parade GRC
The Marine Parade Group Representation Constituency is a five-member Group Representation Constituency (GRC) located in the central, eastern and north-eastern areas of Singapore. The constituency consists of a section of Bedok, Chai Chee, G ...
,
MacPherson SMC
The MacPherson Single Member Constituency is a single member constituency located in the central area of Singapore. The current Member of Parliament for the constituency is Tin Pei Ling of the People's Action Party (PAP).
History
It existed fro ...
and also
Jalan Besar GRC
Jalan Besar Group Representation Constituency is a four-member Group Representation Constituency composed of several city suburbs surrounding the Central Area of Singapore. There are four wards in the GRC: Kreta Ayer- Kim Seng, Kolam Ayer, W ...
. Previously, Aljunied area is under
Aljunied GRC
The Aljunied Group Representation Constituency is a five-member group representation constituency (GRC) in the north-eastern and eastern region of Singapore. The GRC consists of five divisions: Eunos, Bedok Reservoir-Punggol, Kaki Bukit, Ser ...
and
Aljunied SMC
Aljunied Constituency was a single member constituency in Aljunied, Singapore that was formed in 1959 and continued throughout till 1988 where it was one of the wards that form the Aljunied Group Representation Constituency.
Member of Parlia ...
before 2001. However, Aljunied GRC falls within the corridor from Temasek Polytechnic all the way to Serangoon Gardens.
See also
*
Aljunied MRT station
Aljunied MRT station is an above-ground Mass Rapid Transit (MRT) station on the East West line (EWL) in Geylang, Singapore. Named after Aljunied Road, this station primarily serves Aljunied, one of the subzones that make up Geylang planning ar ...
*
Geylang East Public Library
Geylang East Public Library is one of the 26 public libraries established by the National Library Board of Singapore.
Located along Geylang East Avenue 1 within walking distance of Aljunied MRT station, it serves the residents of the Eastern a ...
*
Buddhist Library (Singapore)
The Buddhist Library () is the first dedicated Buddhist library in :Singapore. The library, which is located in a shophouse in Geylang, aims to meet the needs of the Buddhist community and anyone interested in Buddhism. It is unique in that it i ...
*
Foo Hai Ch'an Monastery
Foo Hai Ch'an Monastery (), is a Buddhist monastery in Singapore. The foundation was originally set up by Venerable Hong Zong of Taiwan. The present premises are located, adjacent to Sri Sivan Temple, in front of Paya Lebar MRT station, exit C a ...
References
*Victor R Savage, Brenda S A Yeoh (2003), ''Toponymics - A Study of Singapore Street Names'', Eastern Universities Press,
Aljunied Town CouncilPenrose websiteArticles from National Library of Singapore Infopedia Website :
{{Places in Singapore
Places in Singapore
Geylang