Hajjah Fatimah Mosque

About this place

The Hajjah Fatimah Mosque is a historic mosque on Beach Road in Singapore's Kampong Glam district, built in the 1840s by a Muslim noblewoman from Malacca named Hajjah Fatimah. It is a national monument, known for its sloped minaret that recalls a church steeple, which sets it apart from the city's other mosques. It went up between 1845 and 1846 with her funding, at first mainly in timber, and was rebuilt in concrete in 1920. In the 1930s a French contractor rebuilt the main prayer hall with Malay craftsmen, working to layouts from a Chinese architectural firm, so several cultures had a hand in it. The Alsagoff family, her in-laws, managed it. It became a national monument on 28 June 1973. At the gate stands a small building with dark timber windows, topped by the mosque's name in Arabic script. Behind it rise the white tiered minaret and a golden dome, and the green prayer hall holds a gilded timber minbar with a chandelier under the dome. To one side are the mausoleum of Hajjah Fatimah and a small graveyard with old headstones. It is 400 m in a straight line from Masjid Sultan and the Malabar Mosque, so all three fit one walk in Kampong Glam, and Haji Lane is 500 m away. This is an active place of worship, so avoid prayer times and Fridays, dress modestly and remove your shoes, and women should cover their hair. Keep your voice down in the hall and ask before taking pictures.