Sir Stamford Raffles landed at the Singapore River. Singapore’s early immigrants disembarked at Telok Ayer. The coastal area of Telok Blangah in the meantime, is associated with a longer history — it heralded the arrival of Palembang prince, Sang Nila Utama, who founded the island in 1299. It also played witness to other significant milestones in the Singapore story. Here’s its 700year history in brief.

The Sejarah Melayu, or Malay Annals, documents the arrival of a Palembang prince called Sang Nila Utama who founded the settlement of Singapura on the island of Temasik (Temasek) around 1299. He purportedly threw his crown into the waters off Telok Blangah to keep a storm at bay.

Just a few decades later, in the 1330s, Chinese trader and traveller Wang Dayuan swung by and noted the existence of settlers living alongside bunwearing, dart wielding inhabitants at a waterway3 between Sentosa and Labrador Point called Longyamen (Dragon's Tooth Gate).

The Telok Blangah area was also documented as having been occupied by the Orang Laut who provided their naval prowess to Malay rulers of the region.

During the colonial era, Sir Stamford Raffles allocated 200 acres of land in Telok Blangah to local chieftain Temenggong Abdul Rahman and his 10,000 followers. The temenggong lived there in an Europeanstyle mansion known as the Istana Lama. He died in the mansion in 1825, having been subjected to a significant reduction in his rights, authority and sphere of influence after signing a treaty with the British the year before.

In 1833, the Malay community appointed his son Daeng Ibrahim as his successor. Daeng Ibrahim had his heart set on restoring prestige to his family’s name and rebuilding Johor and its sultanate.

To raise funds for this endeavour, Daeng Ibrahim capitalised on the trending gutta percha trade. The natural plastic produced by trees from the Sapotaceae family was in demand at the time for it could be used as insulation for undersea telegraph cables. Daeng Ibrahim was said to have engaged in piracy to monopolise the trade, much to the chagrin of the British.

The money the chieftain earned was channelled towards the development of Johor. Telok Blangah was also given a facelift — Europeanstyle bungalows painted in green and white replaced rundown huts.

Daeng Ibrahim, however, needed the British on his side — at the very least to acknowledge him as temenggong of Johor. To this end, he agreed to help stamp out piracy. They responded positively and had him installed in 1841.

Daeng Ibrahim is celebrated for having the foresight to clear coastal mangroves and mudflats in the area. This land was subsequently leased to shipping company Peninsular and Orient which opened coal sheds and wharves.

In recognition of his contributions, a mosque, which occupies the grounds of the family’s now defunct Istana Lama palace, was named after him. The mosque is colocated with a royal mausoleum housing his tomb as well as his father’s.

Both the place of worship and the royal mausoleum at 30 Telok Blangah Road are owned by the State of Johor for the Sultan of Johor.

https://www.roots.gov.sg/storiesland...

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