Arab Street

One of the few streets in Kampong Glam that has retained its original name, the area was designated for the Arab community in the 1822 town plan of Singapore. However, traders and entrepreneurs from Indonesia, India, China and the Middle East were also active in this busy commercial area. They started businesses ranging from eating houses, rattan shops and goldsmiths, to textile shops, money changers, bookshops and printing presses.

The Arab community left their imprint on Kampong Glam in many ways, such as the two madrasahs in this area. In the early days, Arab traders used to own whole stretches of properties in Kampong Glam. Today, you can still find a number of long-time businesses in Kampong Glam belonging to Arab businessmen, such as the Basharahil Brothers and Toko Aljunied.

Due to the large Javanese population in the area, Arab Street was also known as Kampong Java by the Malays, or 'Jawa koi' (Java Street) by the Chinese. It even had a Tamil nickname, 'pookadei sadakku' (flower street), because of the flower stalls set up by the Javanese women along the five-foot way. The Javanese also operated eating houses, food stalls, and sold goods such as fruit and Javanese leaf cigarettes. However, its Javanese presence slowly diminished with resettlement of the original residents due to the redevelopment of Kampong Glam.