Jalan Kubor Cemetery ( Malay : Perkuburan Jalan Kubor), sometimes called Victoria Street Cemetery, is a historical royal Muslim cemetery located at Victoria Street , near Kampong Glam neighbourhood in Singapore. It is one of the oldest Muslim cemeteries in Singapore and houses many graves of important Muslim figures from the 19th and 20th centuries. The cemetery features tombstones with inscriptions in a diversity of languages and writing systems, reflecting the indigenous peoples of Singapore, including Malay , Javanese script , Buginese Lontara script , Arabic , English , Mandarin and Gujarati .
20-691: In 1824, the land was ceded to the British by Hussein Shah, Sultan of Johor and Singapore . Five years later, in 1829, a colonial prospector named J. T. Thomson recorded the historical site as Tombs of the Malayan Princes , which is the name that appeared on a map by G. D. Coleman , published in Calcutta in 1836 and in London in 1839. The cemetery was meant for the descendants of Sultan Hussein , which
40-593: A claim to be the rightful ruler of these states and sparked a brief civil war in Pahang.) Sultan Hussein on his part, did not pursue any active claim to his sovereignty rights over Johor, even after Temenggong Abdul Rahman died in 1825, and his successor, Temenggong Daeng Ibrahim was still a youth at the time. Sultan Hussein spent much of his time at his Singapore residence in Istana Kampong Glam until 1834, when he moved to Malacca . Reports cited that he
60-622: A deal with Hussein Shah. The British would recognize Hussein Shah as Sultan of Johor, and pay stipends to Hussein Shah and the Temenggong Abdul Rahman. In return, Hussein Shah would allow Raffles to establish a trading post in Singapore. This treaty was signed on 6 February 1819. The Dutch were extremely displeased with Raffles' action. Tensions between the Dutch and British over Singapore persisted until 1824, until they signed
80-629: The Anglo-Dutch Treaty . Under the terms of that treaty, the Dutch officially withdrew their opposition to the British presence in Singapore. The treaty has the effect of carving the Johor into two spheres of influence; modern Johor under the British and the new Sultanate of Riau under the Dutch. The treaty was concluded in London, between the British and the Dutch, effectively breaking Johor-Riau into two. The British successfully sidelined Dutch political influence by proclaiming Hussein Shah as
100-959: The National Heritage Board to "uncover Singapore's connection to the Malay world". During this study, Tajudeen and his team analysed the tombstones of the 4752 graves that are housed in the cemetery and established links to the history of Singapore based on the families that are buried there, and the languages of the tombstone inscriptions. Royalty included descendants of Ammir Hussain Muazzam Shah I, Sultan of All Johor State (Singapore Islands District) : Malay community ;- Hussein Shah of Johor Sultan Hussein Mua'zzam Shah ibni Mahmud Shah Alam ( Malay : Hussain Muazzam Shah ibni Mahmud Shah Alam or سلطان حسين معظم شاه ابن محمود شاه عالم , 1776 – 5 September 1835)
120-592: The Sultan of Johor and Singapore. Hussein Shah's claim to be Sultan of Johor and Singapore was by all accounts not recognised by the Malay rulers and was only a nominal title. Temenggong Abdul Rahman's position, on the other hand, was strengthened as the signing of the treaties detached him the influence of Raja Ja'afar. The Dutch took the initiative of taking the royal regalia from Engku Putri Hamidah by force after hearing of rumors of Sultan Hussein requesting British aid to get hold of it. In November 1822, Sultan Abdul Rahman
140-682: The Sultan to secure an alliance with the British in an attempt to reduce Dutch influence in the region. In 1818, Sir Stamford Raffles persuaded the British East India Company to establish a new base in the East Indies . On 29 January 1819, Raffles landed at Singapura, and there he befriended Temenggong Abdul Rahman . Upon learning of the political tension in Johor, Raffles had the Temenggong smuggle Hussein Shah from Penyengat Island to Singapura. Raffles then made
160-475: The Temenggong and Bendahara increasingly exerted their independent authority. Also, largely as a result of the strong British influence in the Malay Peninsula , the continuously changing political dynamics gradually relegated these legitimacy disputes to irrelevance. (In 1857, the Sultan of Lingga, Sultan Mahmud Muzaffar Shah, who was also de jure head of the royal house of Johor, Pahang and Lingga, made
180-429: The administrative direction of Raja Ja'afar, who ruled under the auspices of the Dutch. However, unresolved legal ambiguity in the legitimacy various local affairs, such as the status of Johor and Pahang. These were de jure possessions of Sultan Abdul Rahman and his successors, yet the 1824 treaty barred him as a Dutch vassal from exerting political authority over Johor and Pahang. In the light of these circumstances,
200-534: The better chance of succeeding his father by primogeniture over his younger half-brother, Abdul Rahman . Hussein Shah, however, was away in Pahang for his marriage to Tuan Encik Puan Bulang when his father died in 1811. The Bugis faction, led by the underking Yamtuan Muda Raja Ja'afar, supported Abdul Rahman as successor and hastily organised a coronation ceremony before Hussein Shah could return. Raja Ja'afar, in exchange for his support for Abdul Rahman (now sultan),
220-418: The cemetery to the public on 26 August 1948. The proximity of the cemetery to the Sultan's palace made the cemetery a popular burial ground amongst the more wealthy Malay merchants and figures in Singapore. The graves of the royal family members can be differentiated due to the mounds built below the graves, making them higher than the rest. Furthermore, royal graves were distinguished with yellow tombstones, as
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#1732791068704240-619: The colour yellow in Malay culture signifies royalty. In 1987, Singapore Land Authority acquired ownership of the cemetery grounds. In 1998, Singapore's Urban Redevelopment Authority earmarked the site for residential redevelopment. In 2014 and 2015, a major research project led by Imran bin Tajudeen, a professor at the Architecture department at the National University of Singapore , led a six-month study commissioned by
260-513: The first half of his son's reign as the Sultan of Johor, limited recognition was given by a few nobles. Known as having a personality that did not impress either the British or the local Malays, the contemporary writer Munshi Abdullah remarked that he was a "tiger without teeth". Sultan Mahmud Shah III died in 1812 after reigning for more than fifty years. He formally named no heir and left behind two sons by two different women, both of whom were of Bugis origin. The older son, Hussein Shah stood
280-547: The monsoon winds arrived, and was received by Sultan Abdul Rahman, who offered to abdicate in his favor. But he quickly backtracked after Raja Ja'afar made threats against Sultan Abdul Rahman. Hussein Shah remained in exile in Penyengat Island of the Riau Islands . Questions pertaining to the legitimacy of Sultan Abdul Rahman's reign were raised; the royal regalia were still in the hands of Engku Putri Hamidah,
300-486: The primary consort of Mahmud Shah III, who had stated her support for Hussein Shah as successor. In addition, Hussein Shah also had the support of the Temenggongs and Malay nobles, which made the prospect of putting a legitimate successor in place difficult. Sultan Abdul Rahman devoted himself increasingly to religion; he had delegated all administrative duties to Raja Ja'afar by the time William Farquhar approached
320-612: Was a dispirited man, apparently with the lack of power and authority that he should be accorded as the sultan. Sultan Hussein died in September 1835, and was buried near the Tranquerah Mosque at the wishes of his Sultanah and Abdul Kadir, a Tamil-Muslim Imam. Several of his descendants are buried in Jalan Kubor Cemetery in Singapore. Lingga Islands Too Many Requests If you report this error to
340-505: Was appointed as regent and wielded administrative authority. Hussein Shah was in Pahang, waiting for the monsoon winds to arrive, and was unaware of his brother's installation as sultan. Raja Ja'afar had written a letter to Hussein Shah, notifying him of Sultan Mahmud Shah III's death, but concealed his brother's ascension as sultan. Bendahara Tun Ali brought letters to Lingga , reporting Abdul Rahman's coronation during Hussein Shah's stay in Pahang. Hussein Shah sailed from Pahang to Lingga when
360-457: Was installed as the Sultan of Lingga, complete with the royal regalia. In the later part of his reign, growing British influence induced some Malay nobles, particularly Bendahara Ali, to recognize Sultan Hussein Shah. Sultan Abdul Rahman, who had devoted himself to religion, became content with his political sphere of influence in Lingga, where his family continued to maintain his household under
380-449: Was the 19th ruler of Johor-Riau . He signed two treaties with Britain which culminated in the founding of modern Singapore ; during which he was nominally given recognition by the British as the Sultan of Johor and Singapore in 1819 and the Sultan of Johor in 1824. However, Sultan Hussein was regarded by nobles as a British puppet monarch , at least during the first few years of his reign. Towards his last years of his reign and during
400-496: Was why the burial ground was named Tombs of the Malayan Princes. Another name appearing on early maps is Sultan Keramat , meaning Sultan's Holy Grounds. In 1852, Syed Omar Aljunied donated the large plot of land as a waqf (inalienable charitable endowment) to be used as a Muslim burial ground under the trusteeship of his descendants. However, the cemetery became a burial ground for Malays as well as Indian Muslims when Sultan Hussein 's son, Sultan Ali Iskandar Shah , opened
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