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Revision as of 12:20, 24 December 2024 by Yusuf Asar Yathar (talk | contribs)(diff) ← Previous revision | Latest revision (diff) | Newer revision → (diff) Historic cemetery in the East Region, Singapore| Kubur Kassim | |
|---|---|
| قبر قاسم | |
 Entrance to Kubur Kassim cemetery | |
.svg)  Shown within Singapore | |
| General information | |
| Type | cemetery |
| Architectural style | Indo-Saracenic architecture |
| Address | 426 Siglap Road, Singapore 455933 |
| Town or city | Siglap |
| Country | Singapore |
| Coordinates | 1°18′59″N 103°55′22″E / 1.3165008°N 103.9226443°E / 1.3165008; 103.9226443 |
Kubur Kassim (Arabic: قبر قاسم) is a Muslim cemetery located in the Siglap neighbourhood in the East Region, Singapore. The cemetery is no longer in use, however it is still open for public access. It houses burials of prominent Malay Muslim figures, including Hafeezudin Sirajuddin Moonshi, a doctor who opened the first Muslim-owned clinic in Singapore.
The cemetery contains a Sufi lodge and surau for prayers, both of which are still in use. It has also received some publicity in the form of superstitions, mainly through stories and legends attributing the cemetery to have been frequented by the mythological Orang Bunian.
History
The Kubur Kassim cemetery was established in 1921 on a plot of land in the Siglap neighbourhood that was owned by a Muslim merchant named Ahna Mohamed Kassim bin Ally Mohamed. After Kassim's death in 1935, the cemetery's managment was then transferred to his heirs. Burials in the cemetery stopped in the 1980s. Finally in 1987, the cemetery was targeted for redevelopment and the Singapore Land Authority held control of the cemetery. Currently, it is not open for burials although the public can readily access the cemetery.
Features
Architectural features
The gateway of the cemetery is built in the style of Indo-Saracenic architecture. It is painted green and yellow.
The graves in the cemetery are mostly square in shape, which is unusual for a regular Muslim cemetery.
Buildings
Located within the Kubur Kassim cemetery is a surau where Muslim vistors can pray in. There is also a Sufi lodge in the cemetery which contains the grave of a prominent Sufi mystic of the Chisthi order; Khwaja Habibullah Shah, an Indian Muslim scholar who died in 1971. The Sufi lodge is still in use by members of the order to do their meetings. Another mausoleum in the cemetery is the Keramat Sheikh Ali, a burial place of another Sufi mystic.
Burials
More than 3,000 people are buried in the cemetery. Although the cemetery is predominantly a Muslim one, there are also interfaith burials. Prominent figures of the Malay Muslim community are buried in the cemetery. Aside from celebrities and noblemen, Muslim scholars and Sufi mystics have also been entombed here.
Prominent burials
- Hafeezudin Sirajuddin Moonshi (d. 1965) – Muslim doctor who opened the first Muslim-owned clinic in Singapore
- Khwaja Habibullah Shah (d. 1971) – Scholar and mystic of the Chisthi order
- Sheikh Ali – Muslim scholar and Sufi mystic
- Che Lembek Binte Abdin – former headmistress at Kampong Glam Girls' School during WWII
Folklore
Local legends claim that the cemetery is frequented by the Orang Bunian, a mythological cryptid people that come from a different dimension. The cemetery became known for such stories as well as the eclipse of 1821 which further added to its reputation in horror stories and local tradition. Some graves in the cemetery are reportedly dedicated to the cryptids as well.
See also
References
- ^ "Kubur Kassim - Singapore". citydays.com. 2024-01-17. Retrieved 2024-12-24.
- ^ Ocón, David (2023-09-02). "Low-cost digital tools to preserve cultural heritage 'blind spots': the case of Kubor Kassim in Singapore". International Journal of Heritage Studies. 29 (9): 961–987. doi:10.1080/13527258.2023.2231903. ISSN 1352-7258.
- ^ Saad, Sufyan (2024-10-07). "Visit these intriguing cemeteries and keramats in Singapore". Honeycombers Singapore. Retrieved 2024-12-24.
- ^ "Find My Ah Gong at Kubur Kassim Cemetery - My Community Festival 2024". mycommunityfestival.sg. Retrieved 2024-12-24.
- "Kubur Kassim Cemetery | Things to do in Bedok, Singapore". Time Out Singapore. Archived from the original on 2024-08-07. Retrieved 2024-12-24.
- ^ "Khawaja Habibullah Shah al-Chishti ق (D.1971)". Shadhiliyyah.sg. Retrieved 2024-12-24.
- ^ STANDS4 LLC (24 December 2024). "Khwaja Habibullah Shah". Biographies.net. Retrieved 2024-12-24.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link) - ^ Husni, Muhammad Faisal (2018). The grave that became a shrine : the lives of keramat graves in Singapore (Thesis thesis).
- ^ "Kubur Kassim Cemetery". Atlas Obscura. Retrieved 2024-12-24.
- ^ Ng, Desmond (8 April 2017). "From ghosts and mass graves, to Einstein: 10 stories we bet you didn't know about Siglap". CNA. Singapore. Retrieved 30 April 2024.
- "DR. MOONSHI (SAKIT 10 BULAN) MENINGGAL". Berita Harian. Singapore. 26 November 1965. Retrieved 30 April 2024.