Singapore /Singapore /Singapore
Sight Address : 192 Telok Ayer Street, Singapore 068635, Singapore. Edit
Detail InformationEdit
Masjid Al-Abrar (Malay for Al-Abrar Mosque; Chinese: 阿尔阿布拉回教堂) is one of the earliest mosques in Singapore, and is located along Telok Ayer Street in the Chinatown district within the Central Area, Singapore’s central business district.The mosque is known by three names: Masjid Al-Abrar, Kuchu Palli and Masjid Chulia. Al-Abrar is its official name, while Kuchu Palli, meaning “hut mosque”, is a reflection of the mosque’s first modest structure. Its location in Telok Ayer Street, in the heart of Chinatown, was where Chulia immigrants from the Coromandel Coast of South India, among the earliest immigrants to Singapore, settled when they came to Singapore — hence, Masjid Chulia.This mosque, also called Masjid Chulia, after the Chulias, the group of Indian moneylender immigrants who funded its construction (masjid is Malay for “mosque”), was originally erected as a thatched building in 1827, thus its Tamil name Kuchu Palli, which means “hut mosque.” The building that stands today was built in the 1850s, and even though it faces Mecca, the complex conforms with the grid of the neighborhood’s city streets. It was designated a national monument in 1974, and in the late 1980s, the mosque underwent major renovations that enlarged the mihrab and stripped away some of the ornamental qualities of the columns in the building. The one-story prayer hall was extended upward into a two-story gallery. Little touches like the timber window panels and fanlight windows have been carried over into the new renovations.
Al-Abrar Mosque
HistoryEdit
From 1827, worshippers at the Masjid Al-Abrar used a makeshift thatched hut for worship until a brick building replaced it between 1850 and 1855. An 1856 painting by Percy Carpenter, entitled Telok Ayer Street as seen from Mount Wallich, features an early visual record of the brick mosque. In 1829, the congregation of the mosque was granted a 999-year lease for the land on which the mosque stood. The lease was held in trust by Hadjee Puckery Mohamed Khatib. In 1910, five new trustees were appointed. They were K. Mohamed Eusope, Thambyappa Rarooter, S. Kanisah Maricayar, V.M. Kader Bux and J. Sultan Abdul Kader. The trustees were common across the three Chulia mosques: Masjid Al-Abrar, Masjid Jamae and Nagore Durgha.Occupying the width of three shophouse fronts but with no five-foot way, the mosque was aligned with the street grid while also oriented towards Mecca. Inside, the mosque is essentially a one-storey prayer hall. It is much simpler than its earlier counterparts in Singapore. The four minaret-like towers that define the narrow frontage are devoid of decorative elements, except for a small onion dome on the top of each tower.
The mosque remained in this form for over a century, with only minor repairs from the 1950s to the mid-1980s. But in 1986 and again in 1989, major renovations were carried out, transforming the old mosque.Masjid Al-Abrar was gazetted as a national monument on 29 November 1974.
Must SeeEdit
Popular
Visiting TimeEdit
10 am – 8 pm
Closed OnEdit
N.A.
Best Season to VisitEdit
June to July and November to December.
Best Time To VisitEdit
Morning And Evening.
Time Required for SightseeingEdit
N.A.
Ticket Required : No Edit
Individual National Adult : N.A.
Kids : N.A.
Individual Foreigner Adult : N.A.
Kids : N.A.
Still Photo Camera : N.A.
Video Camera : N.A.
Guide Required : No Edit
Approximate cost: N.A.
Dress Code (If Any) : No Edit
Dress Require: N.A.
Restaurants NearbyAdd / Edit
- Senso Ristorante & Bar ; 21 Club St Singapore 069410 ; Ph/M – 65 6224 3534 ; Food Serve – Italian Restaurant
How to ReachEdit
Taxi : Taxis are generally very hard to get during peak hours (Mon-Fri 7:00am – 9:30am and Mon-Sat 5:00pm – 8:00pm) and on rainy days. If you are at a hotel, have conceirge call you a taxi. If you are out about town and have access to a cell phone- calling for a taxi will cut your wait time by 20 to 30 minutes. All taxis are fitted with meters; all are air conditioned; the majority of the taxis are 5-seaters; about 90% of taxis have radiophones; call booking is done via GPS or digital voice dispatch. All passengers must fasten their seat belts by law.
For taxi Booking fee is SGD $2.3. Minimum fare for taxi is SGD $3 for first 1Km. Fare above minimum fare until 10Km is SGD $0.55 per Km. Fare above 10Km is charge SGD $0.628 per Km. Taxi Waiting charges per hour is SGD $17.6. Peak Hours charges is diffrent.
BUS : Public buses run daily from 5.30am to midnight. Extended night services cost slightly more (a flat rate ranging from $1.50-$3.00). Otherwise, most fares depend on distance travelled and range from 67 cents to $1.58 for air-conditioned comfort (almost all public buses in Singapore have air-conditioning today). There are also “feeder” bus services that charge a flat rate of 67 cents. Each bus should not take more than 15 to 20 minutes to arrive at the bus stop.
Train : Singapore MRT system is very well connected to different parts of Singapore and very clean! If you have the time and plan to explore around little Sunny island, get the the Singapore Tourist Pass!
It runs 6am-12mn, fares start at S$1 (70cents in EZ link). Tickets can be purchased in all MRT stations. You just have to insert your money through the ticket machine. Rush hour’s usually 7am-9am, 11am-2pm and 4pm-7pm.
Air : Changi Airport is the country’s main airport. From the airport there are a number of ways to get into the city:
Taxi is easiest – simply follow the signs after clearing customs. Meters are always used in Singapore and prices are reasonable. A trip to the city during the day will be between $20-$30 including $3-5 airport surcharge. An additional 50% surcharge applies between midnight and 06:00.
Limousines charge a flat $50 to anywhere in the city and are a pretty good deal after midnight, as you can skip the queue and avoid the surcharge. The same pricing applies to chartering van-sized MaxiCabs, which are good for large families or if you have lots of baggage.
Shuttle – Shared six-seater MaxiCab shuttle service to designated areas/hotels costs $7 and can be booked in advance or in the arrivals hall. 6AM-2AM, every 15-30 min.
Subway – MRT trains run from a station between T2 and T3, but you’ll need to change trains at Tanah Merah to a city-bound train: just exit through the left hand side door and cross the platform. The 30 min ride to City Hall station costs $1.90 plus a refundable $1 deposit, and trains run 05:31-23:18.
Bus – Bus terminals can be found in the basements of T1, T2 and T3. 06:00-23:59 only. Fares are less than $2.00, exact fare required (no change given) if you pay cash.
Others : N.A.
Things to CarryEdit
- Carry drinking of Bottled water
Safety / WarningEdit
- Please be advised that all bags and personal items are subject to inspection.
HelplineEdit
- Police: 999
- Emergencies/Ambulance/Fire Brigade: 999
- Police Hotline: 1800 353 000
- Non-emergency ambulance: 1777
- Flight Information (24-hours): 1800-542 4422
- Tourism Information (24-hours): 1800-736 2000
