History of Geylang Serai

This is my history of Geylang Serai. When I hear the word Geylang Serai, the images that would prop in my mind would be Chendol, Masjid Aminah and Bustami Optical. What are your memories?
Do join me ‪@sarafiansalleh6200‬ on the 13th May at 9am, as I unfold my sweet memories of Geylang Serai in this short and candid video with stories and photos that haunt me till today. We also have our guest, Syed Abdullah Ibn Alsagoff, who has shared with us the history of his family in sculpturing the historical landscape of Geylang Serai
Thank you and Selamat menyambut Hari Raya, Maaf Zahir Batin

[@mrlikisma8847]

Very informative documentary. Baru saya tahu sejarah di sebalik Geylang Serai.

[@sarafiansalleh6200]

Thank you for taking your time to appreciate Bro. I also learn about the history along the way too. Have a blessed day. Selamat Hari Raya

[@mrlikisma8847]

Selamat Hari Raya bro. Keep up your good work.

[@sarafiansalleh6200]

@@mrlikisma8847 Terimakasih Bro 🙂

[@everreign6523]

Thank you for making this wonderful video.

[@suhaiminazaruddin5670]

Assalamualaikum bro. suhaimi from kajang here. what a nostalgic scenes when we saw the earlier malay villages in the island. just like our last malay kampung in the heart of kuala lumpur city centre, which is the kampung baru. i would love to see the development of kampung baru in such a dignity, transparency and proper manner so that the malays living in the area will live in a prosper way along the development .

[@suhaiminazaruddin5670]

Teringat masa bersekolah di sekolah rendah jalan brickfield, kuala lumpur di tahun 1974 dulu. masa subject music, cikgu music kami mengajar kami lagu "Tanjung Katong".Intronya: Di Tanjung Katong, Airnya biru, Disitu tempatnya...

[@sarafiansalleh6200]

ALhamdulilah thank you bro Suhaimi. Salam Ramadhan dan salam Jumaat 🙂

[@sparkletoes06]

It really touches my heart and Singapore has improved so much. These stories must be kept in a form of drawing and writing how has Singapore is moved to now we are leaving.

[@sarafiansalleh6200]

Thank you for ur kind appreciation Sparkletoes♥️

[@yasinmadakia]

Awesome video. We need more of these informative historical knowledge especially for our historical heritage.

[@sarafiansalleh6200]

InsyaAllah thank u , more videos to come 🙏🏻☺️

[@adamkasim7]

What a tireless effort in making this video full of information. Thank you!

[@sarafiansalleh6200]

Alhamdulilah thank u so much KBMS🙏🏻☺️

[@dadamadrigal]

Wow very informative and lot of history too, love to follow your footsteps . Always take care

[@sarafiansalleh6200]

Thank u for ur kind encouragement brother. You take care too ya🤗🙏🏻

[@Jaffar540]

Thank you, Sir, for your tremendous effort in providing important info about the Geylang Serai. I owe you my prayers.

[@sarafiansalleh6200]

Alhamdulilah thank u abg☺️🙏🏻

[@sandramaniam9758]

Selamat Hari raya aidilfitri MR Sarafian and your family I love the video keep rocking

[@sarafiansalleh6200]

Thank you very much for your kind wish Sandra and thank you for the encouragement. Have a blessed holoday :-)

[@tanjong2021]

My olden time of being little boy in 70's & 80's in Mersing, Johor brought me regularly visiting "Geylang Serai" for shopping. That's time was $1.00 SD= $1.10 MYR and bought the "Adidas Tobacco" shoe and "Nike" only below $50.00 SD.

[@sarafiansalleh6200]

Dear TanJong. Your comment brings back mice memories of geylang. I remember Geylang in my 70s too when I followed my Grandmother to the market. Yes they also have AMCO, LOIS, Lumberjack, Wrangler, Rodeo and few other brands that we do not see much today. Have you been to Singapore lately ?

[@tanjong2021]

@@sarafiansalleh6200 ..never. That's the last time since the Ringgit keep going down.

[@hamidahahmad574]

Thank you .. 🙏 interesting videos... subscribed...

[@sarafiansalleh6200]

Thank you Hamidah, have a great day

[@isswann8248]

Selamat Hari Raya bro and once again awsome video...!!

[@sarafiansalleh6200]

Alhamdulillah terimakasih saudaraku. Selamat Hari Raya mohon Maaf Zahir dan Batin :-)

[@hufaysa]

I grew up here and I am growing old here. Amazing video. I like the fact that this video relates back to Nong Chik. Nong Chik and Hajjah Fatimah's family adopted my greatgreat grandmother (who's a chinese, she can speak arabic and cook arab dishes well) and she married a javanese.

[@sarafiansalleh6200]

Alhamdulillah thank you for appreciating my video🙏🏻☺️

[@idrischedin8265]

Tksh..👌👍

[@sarafiansalleh6200]

Most welcome☺️

[@azrikhairol4941]

Assalamualaikum Bro Sarafian as always i never tired and looking forward to your vids. Very informative from the eyes of a pure native of Singapura. Well wishes from a Muslim/ Malay brother in Brunei Darussalam 🇧🇳

[@sarafiansalleh6200]

Wa'alaikumsallam Brother Azri. Nice to hear from you. Thank you so much for your appreciation. May you and your family in Brunei be blessed by AllahSWT. Amien Allahuma Amien.

[@ohmteam7]

My parent shifted from Jln penggaga to Blk2 geylang serai near to singapura cinema from 1966 to 1978..

[@RizaMarhaban]

This is just amazing video documentary.

[@sarafiansalleh6200]

Thank u Sir. God bless☺️😇

[@alifimam7676]

Good brother

[@sarafiansalleh6200]

Alhamdulilah thank u brother Alif☺️🙏🏻

[@rossmonday600]

Is the song “Nak Dara Rindu” mentioning Tanjong Katong’s blue. water… donu knownif it is refering to Geylang river?

[@sarafiansalleh6200]

Yes the song Nak Dara Rindu did mention of Tanjong Katon....air nya biru, tempat mandi dara jelita.

[@WafaMAmin]

Tanjong katong was the beach front at the end of Tanjong Katong Rd (now East Coast Park) where Tanjong Katong flyover is located.

[@WafaMAmin]

Tanjong is a Malay word which means a piece of land which protudes out to sea (in English - cape, as in Cape of Good Hope in Africa, Cape Caneveral, Etc) and katong means floating or suspended or hanging - to that effect. There are several tanjongs in Sg - eg, Tg Pagar, Tg Berlayar, Tg Penjuru, Tg Kling, etc.

[@xpedisinusantara7758]

Selamat menyambut Hari Raya Aidilfitri buat anda sekeluarga. Semoga sentiasa dilindungi dan diberkati Allah swt dalam apa jua urusan hariannya. Alhamdulilah, i am always fascinated by the effort and the great content in ur channel. Thank you bro :)

[@sarafiansalleh6200]

Alhamdulillah terimakasih bro Muhammad Hali. I do value any feedback from you. Maybe you can also let me know what sort of video do you wish me to produce next, I will consider. Selamat Hari Raya bro, mohon Maaf zahir dan Batin

[@cynoh1]

Hello :) I just subscribed after viewing the video on our lost kampongs. Found it very informative. I used to live in Lor 41 Geylang, waaay back in the good old days. May I share some of your videos with my friends on my private account please ? It will bring back fond memories for them as well. Wish life now is as simple as it was back then. Thanks for all your hard work and research, especially during these trying times. Looking forward to more nostalgic videos, and do stay safe and healthy always !

[@sarafiansalleh6200]

Good day @cynoh1 Yes please share this video with all your friends and families in your public or private account. I feel honoured. Thank you for your appreciation. Let me know if you need other information or you would like what video next ya. Thank you again. Take care :-)

[@cynoh1]

@@sarafiansalleh6200 Thanks for your generosity. Will certainly check in with you for other info in future. Good job !

[@cynoh1]

@@sarafiansalleh6200 Hello again :) I wonder if you have any info/video/photos of the old Telecoms station staff quarters at Yio Chu Kang and St Michael's Road in the 1950s. I remember a rubber plantation in YCK, and the rubber seeds, but nothing else unfortunately. Same as for the St Michael's quarters. Would be great to learn more about these places as I was brought up there, and do not have any photos of the areas.

[@jeffsalleh8078]

Very well done !!! Even the narration is cool. I do not think that the difficulties living in a kampung is mutually exclusive to progress. We can still progress and adopt modernity while keeping the kampung. It is not meant to be but overall I do feel we lost more than gain with the progress. I lived there since birth (1976) and never 3 kms away from the epicenter of Geylang Serai and I feel the change and at times missed a lot of the kind of community we had (it wasn't and far from perfect) but like you said and I TOTALLY AGREE - made us HARDY. Thank you for the video - all the best. Selamat Hari Raya.

[@sarafiansalleh6200]

Thank u so much for ur kind comments Bro Jeff. U have a better feel of your place than I do. Selamat Hari Raya bro, Maaf Zahir Batin 🙏🏻😊🙏🏻

[@tanjong2021]

We are proud of ours "Kampong Baru" and "Kampong Delima" in Kuala Lumpur which is located at the heart of City Centre of Kuala Lumpur but still you can see the olden time of "rumah kampong".

[@newmazz]

The best Murtabak was from Queen's Murtabak at Lorong 44 Geylang. It tasted better than Victory & Zam Sam Murtabak. Back in the 90s, this stall was featured in Hey Singapore, an edutainment programme back then. I miss that rustic feeling of the stall & street haha when I gotta walked from my old flat at Aljunied Crescent to the stall.

[@sarafiansalleh6200]

you are absolutely right bro. My grandmother used to ask my dad to buy the Murtabak there.

[@hishamyeo4979]

Salam Bang. If i may add in. There used to be an open air cinema just behind present Joo Chiat Complex. It had wooden benches as seats. Cant remember the name of the cinema though. Thank you for sharing the fond memories of kampong live with us. They are indeed priceless. Watever there is left now, it will be gone soon. Even the present "kampong" at Lor Buangkok is pale in comparison to the richness of yesteryear kampong life.

[@sarafiansalleh6200]

Wa'alaikumsallam Hisham, thank you for sharing with me your narratives. WOw i couldnt recall of any open air cinema behind Joo Chiat Complex. Or was it during the time when it was Pasar Changi? I agree with the pale condition of Lorong BuangKok. Time will tell. Selamat Hari Raya Maaf Zahir Batin

[@hishamyeo4979]

@@sarafiansalleh6200 Slmt Idil Fitri maaf zahir Bang. Yes. I was still a kid. I tink i went to that Cinema twice. The present Millage Apt beside Geylang Serai mkt was former Singapura theatre. And Singapura theatre former name was Taj Cinema. Present Darul Arqam was former Galaxy Theatre. Opp it was the famous Afghanistan Restaurant.

[@sarafiansalleh6200]

I remember now....Galaxy Theatre is now Darul Arqam. Yes my dad told me that I should include the Taj Cinema which eventually became Singapura

[@tanjong2021]

The olden time of Geylang Serai similar to "Kampong Bharu", "Kampong Delima", "Sentul Pasar" and "Pudu Pasar" in Kuala Lumpur now. Check it up.

[@unclegenxfromthe20thcentur91]

A very informative presentation of the place I grew up. The old photographs do brought a lot of memories to me. Especially that photo of the entrance of Lorong Engku Aman with the Ghim Him Lee store. Unfortunately I didn't keep any of those. The Masjid Lorong Engku Aman or if I am not wrong it was also called the Masjid Bunga Raya was actually relocated from its original site as it was affected by the building of Sims Avenue in the early 1970s. I learnt to read the Qur'an there and also the place I queue up for the bubur masjid in my childhood days during the month of Ramadan. The stretch of Tanjong Katong Road facing the Tanjong Katong Complex wasn't a replacement of Lorong Engku Aman. Lorong Engku Aman was still in existence when this extension of Tanjong Katong Road was built in 1976. This extension of Tanjong Katong Road was build over part of the village I grew up. It affected the arab association of singapore building. The Al -Wehdah or popularly we called it Kelab Arab where I got the chance to meet the famous violinist and song composer Allahyarham Syed Omar Bagushir and also some of our fond neighbors that include the family of Malek Awab. In comparison the actual location of Lorong Engku Aman today is the service road that leads to Tanjong Katong Complex's drop-off/pick-up point and the loading bay area.

[@sarafiansalleh6200]

Thank you so much bro. Your info on the Masjid Bunga Raya is good. Yes the Lorong Engku Aman is nearer to Wisma Geylang Serai.

[@vader92]

Salam Abang. Long Nam Temple still exist, but relocated to somewhere else.

[@sarafiansalleh6200]

Wa'alaikumsallam bro. I guess so too but is it near to the old location? Thank you and Selamat Hari Raya

[@kamalhisham9982]

Cuba buka lagu " Geylang Serai" nyanyian arwah Ahmad CB? Apa perasaan anda?

[@amileo1651]

A lot of Malay history in Singapore is gone. So sad, very sad.

[@kusumo2]

interesting how the name Lorong Engku Aman was changed to Tanjong Katong Road (?)... if it weren't for the mosques, hardly anything is left from the past...

[@user-kh5bs5ps5u]

What a wonderful place

[@aliabdulrahim8713]

Jalan Labu Singapura14.

[@sarafiansalleh6200]

Terimakasih. Selamat Hari Raya Haji🙏🏻☺️

[@MegaRajasinga]

Geylang Serai is my Kampong too many good memories 😪 😔 🤧. Geylang now just too bloody boring

[@sarafiansalleh6200]

I feel you bro. The atmosphere has gone and Geylang Serai has lost its gloss.

[@MegaRajasinga]

My Dad used to have a butcher's shop in old Pasar

[@sarafiansalleh6200]

@@MegaRajasinga i may recognize your dad if u have his photo bro🙏🏻

[@MegaRajasinga]

@@sarafiansalleh6200 His name is Pak Raja

[@tanjong2021]

"Geylang" means..not nice to say.