Revamped Malay Heritage Centre to feature new artefacts, greater focus on women’s contributions

SINGAPORE – One of the first artefacts that will greet visitors on the ground floor of the revamped Malay Heritage Centre (MHC) is a stencilled sign reading “Crown Land Property Chapter - 382”.

Dated 1897, it was uncovered at the entrance of the building during

restoration works at the centre

at Istana Kampong Gelam, the former seat of Malay royalty in Singapore.

The discovery of the nondescript sign led to a revised understanding of the building, which is slated to be a gallery and showcase for Malay heritage, said MHC general manager Hafiz Shariff.

An investigation into its origins led to the discovery of an 1891 newspaper article on the death of Tengku Alam Shah – the grandson of Sultan Hussein Shah, who signed two treaties with the British that led to the founding of modern Singapore.

While Istana Kampong Gelam – which was gazetted as a national monument in 2015 – was previously believed to have been built in the 1840s, the article stated that Tengku Alam died shortly after its completion in 1890.

Parts of the building’s brick walls have been exposed and preserved to allow for testing to confirm the building’s age, Mr Hafiz said, adding that the sign’s discovery is a reminder that a society’s understanding of history can evolve.

“As new evidence comes to light, we re-examine past assumptions, which I think is a healthy part of heritage work,” he told reporters on Feb 3.

The sign is one of the new artefacts at the centre, which has been closed since 2022 for restoration and redevelopment.

Prime Minister Lawrence Wong announced during his National Day Rally speech in August 2025

that the centre will reopen on April 25, 2026

.

The revamped centre will showcase the diversity and evolution of the Malay world, and will include a broader representation of various Malay sub-ethnic groups such as the Javanese, Baweanese and Banjar.

Based on feedback to the MHC, there will also be an increased focus on the contributions of Malay women, which, Mr Hafiz noted, is aimed at “correcting the lens” through which the community’s history is viewed.

To that end, one of the artefacts is a pilgrim pass belonging to Hajjah Maimunah Abdul Karim, a businesswoman who helped set up a chain of nasi padang eateries in the 1990s that now bears her name.

Hajjah Maimunah, who was born in 1935 and died in 1996, was Singapore’s first female haj broker, coordinating pilgrimages to Mecca especially for women, in addition to running a catering business serving pilgrims.

A new acquisition is a 2m-long, 150kg congkak board, carved in the shape of the petala wati, a celestial bird from Kelantanese mythology.

Congkak is a traditional Malay game played using seeds or marbles.

Its size and intricate design – which includes a mustaka, a crown-like shape typically found on the roofs of mosques in the region – indicate that the board was meant for display rather than play, said MHC assistant curator Hadi Osni, noting that it will be used to teach visitors about the game.

The centre will also feature five commissioned works by contemporary local Malay artists, including a wayang kulit installation on the staircase of the two-storey building by batik painter Tumadi Patri.

Another work by NEO_ARTEFACTS – an initiative by artist Fazleen Karlan which blends archaeology and art – will incorporate ceramic shards found during excavations at the Istana Kampong Gelam site.

To mark the reopening, a festival will be held from April 25 to May 3, which will include a parade featuring cultural performances by groups from Singapore and around the region.

The festival will also feature an overnight event, dubbed Selamba Party – a play on the Malay term for nonchalant and a homophone for “slumber” – which will feature movie screenings, jamu-making workshops and a calisthenics class. Jamu is a traditional herbal medicine.

Acknowledging recent reports about how

rising rents have driven out some businesses in the area

, Mr Hafiz said MHC’s work of documenting the history of Kampong Gelam’s heritage businesses is one way of preserving the neighbourhood’s cultural heritage.

The centre hopes to serve as a “catalyst for cultural programming” in Kampong Gelam, he added, working with partners such as Kampong Gelam Alliance – a voluntary group comprising residents, cultural institutions and business organisations in the historical area.

“I think the intention is really to strengthen this area’s positioning as a distinctive cultural district.”

Correction note: A photo caption in an earlier version of the story misidentified a person installing an artifact as an art handler. The Malay Heritage Centre has since clarified that he is an assistant director with the National Heritage Board.