Malay Heritage Centre
Encyclopedia
The Malay Heritage Centre is a cultural centre in Singapore
to showcase the heritage
, culture
and history
of Malay Singaporeans. Located at Sultan Gate of Kampong Glam
, the 8,000 square metre (2 acre) centre was launched on 27 November 2004.
The building was once the Istana Kampong Glam
(or the Sultan
's Palace
) and Gedung Kuning
(or Yellow Mansion
), and was part of a larger original compound that led to the Beach Road frontage. Sultan Gate has been known as such since the 1950s. The Malay Heritage Foundation, formed in 28 July 1999, embarked on a major restoration
project of the Istana Kampong Glam in 1999. Completed in 2004, it reopened as the Malay Heritage Centre.
On the grounds of the Malay Heritage Centre are Gelam trees, the replica
of a Bugis
prahu or boat
, and information markers on the history of the Bugis people and their trade
. The centre houses the Malay Heritage Museum, which preserves and showcase the Malay
culture and heritage in Singapore, through historic artefact
s, multimedia
and diorama
displays, and exhibits.
The centre also organizes Malay cultural programmes and workshops, and together with fund-raising activities contribute to two-thirds of its operational costs. In 2008, the Singapore Government announced their move to provide full S$1.7 million a year funding, to the Heritage Centre, from the one-third funding provided to them in the previous years. The funding and aid from the National Heritage Board
will boost the centre to become a museum of international standard, and allow opportunities to work with other top regional museums in Indonesia and Malaysia.
Singapore
Singapore , officially the Republic of Singapore, is a Southeast Asian city-state off the southern tip of the Malay Peninsula, north of the equator. An island country made up of 63 islands, it is separated from Malaysia by the Straits of Johor to its north and from Indonesia's Riau Islands by the...
to showcase the heritage
Cultural heritage
Cultural heritage is the legacy of physical artifacts and intangible attributes of a group or society that are inherited from past generations, maintained in the present and bestowed for the benefit of future generations...
, culture
Culture
Culture is a term that has many different inter-related meanings. For example, in 1952, Alfred Kroeber and Clyde Kluckhohn compiled a list of 164 definitions of "culture" in Culture: A Critical Review of Concepts and Definitions...
and history
History
History is the discovery, collection, organization, and presentation of information about past events. History can also mean the period of time after writing was invented. Scholars who write about history are called historians...
of Malay Singaporeans. Located at Sultan Gate of Kampong Glam
Kampong Glam
Kampong Glam is a neighbourhood in Singapore. It is located north of the Singapore River, in the urban planning areas of Kallang and Rochor.-History:...
, the 8,000 square metre (2 acre) centre was launched on 27 November 2004.
The building was once the Istana Kampong Glam
Istana Kampong Glam
Istana Kampong Glam , also Istana Kampong Gelam, is a former Malay palace in Singapore. It is located near Masjid Sultan in Kampong Glam...
(or the Sultan
Sultan
Sultan is a title with several historical meanings. Originally, it was an Arabic language abstract noun meaning "strength", "authority", "rulership", and "dictatorship", derived from the masdar سلطة , meaning "authority" or "power". Later, it came to be used as the title of certain rulers who...
's Palace
Palace
A palace is a grand residence, especially a royal residence or the home of a head of state or some other high-ranking dignitary, such as a bishop or archbishop. The word itself is derived from the Latin name Palātium, for Palatine Hill, one of the seven hills in Rome. In many parts of Europe, the...
) and Gedung Kuning
Gedung Kuning
Gedung Kuning, also known as the Yellow Mansion or the Bendahara House, is a former Malay palace in Singapore. It is located within the Malay Heritage Centre, near Masjid Sultan in Kampong Glam...
(or Yellow Mansion
Mansion
A mansion is a very large dwelling house. U.S. real estate brokers define a mansion as a dwelling of over . A traditional European mansion was defined as a house which contained a ballroom and tens of bedrooms...
), and was part of a larger original compound that led to the Beach Road frontage. Sultan Gate has been known as such since the 1950s. The Malay Heritage Foundation, formed in 28 July 1999, embarked on a major restoration
Building restoration
Building restoration describes a particular treatment approach and philosophy within the field of architectural conservation. According the U.S...
project of the Istana Kampong Glam in 1999. Completed in 2004, it reopened as the Malay Heritage Centre.
On the grounds of the Malay Heritage Centre are Gelam trees, the replica
Replica
A replica is a copy closely resembling the original concerning its shape and appearance. An inverted replica complements the original by filling its gaps. It can be a copy used for historical purposes, such as being placed in a museum. Sometimes the original never existed. For example, Difference...
of a Bugis
Bugis
The Bugis are the most numerous of the three major linguistic and ethnic groups of South Sulawesi, the southwestern province of Sulawesi, Indonesia's third largest island. Although many Bugis live in the large port cities of Makassar and Parepare, the majority are farmers who grow wet rice on the...
prahu or boat
Boat
A boat is a watercraft of any size designed to float or plane, to provide passage across water. Usually this water will be inland or in protected coastal areas. However, boats such as the whaleboat were designed to be operated from a ship in an offshore environment. In naval terms, a boat is a...
, and information markers on the history of the Bugis people and their trade
Trade
Trade is the transfer of ownership of goods and services from one person or entity to another. Trade is sometimes loosely called commerce or financial transaction or barter. A network that allows trade is called a market. The original form of trade was barter, the direct exchange of goods and...
. The centre houses the Malay Heritage Museum, which preserves and showcase the Malay
Malay people
Malays are an ethnic group of Austronesian people predominantly inhabiting the Malay Peninsula, including the southernmost parts of Thailand, the east coast of Sumatra, the coast of Borneo, and the smaller islands which lie between these locations...
culture and heritage in Singapore, through historic artefact
Artifact (archaeology)
An artifact or artefact is "something made or given shape by man, such as a tool or a work of art, esp an object of archaeological interest"...
s, multimedia
Multimedia
Multimedia is media and content that uses a combination of different content forms. The term can be used as a noun or as an adjective describing a medium as having multiple content forms. The term is used in contrast to media which use only rudimentary computer display such as text-only, or...
and diorama
Diorama
The word diorama can either refer to a nineteenth century mobile theatre device, or, in modern usage, a three-dimensional full-size or miniature model, sometimes enclosed in a glass showcase for a museum...
displays, and exhibits.
The centre also organizes Malay cultural programmes and workshops, and together with fund-raising activities contribute to two-thirds of its operational costs. In 2008, the Singapore Government announced their move to provide full S$1.7 million a year funding, to the Heritage Centre, from the one-third funding provided to them in the previous years. The funding and aid from the National Heritage Board
National Heritage Board (Singapore)
The National Heritage Board is a statutory board of the Singapore Government, under the Ministry of Information, Communications and the Arts ....
will boost the centre to become a museum of international standard, and allow opportunities to work with other top regional museums in Indonesia and Malaysia.
External links
- http://www.uniquelysingapore.com/publish/stbportal/en/home/what_to_see/museums/malay_heritage_centre.htmlYourSingaporeYourSingaporeYourSingapore is the destination brand of Singapore, launched on 5 March 2010 at the Singapore Tourism Board Tourism Industry Conference 2010. YourSingapore is an evolution of , which remained Singapore's destination brand from 2004 to 2009....
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