Geylang Serai

Geylang Serai takes its name from the lemongrass that was grown and processed here, and it became the centre of Malay Singapore after communities were resettled from the islands and the kampongs. The market building, rebuilt in 2009 in a Malay architectural idiom, holds a wet market below and a hawker centre above with the best Malay food in the city. During Ramadan a bazaar of hundreds of stalls fills the surrounding streets every evening.

History

The name Geylang may come from Kallang, after the Orang Laut who lived at the river mouth when Raffles arrived in 1819, or from gelang, an edible creeper, and it appears on an 1830 survey map; Geylang Serai is one of Singapore's oldest Malay settlements (Wikipedia, Geylang).

What to look for

• The market building - a wet market below and Malay hawker centre above.
• The Ramadan bazaar - hundreds of stalls filling the streets each evening in the fasting month.
• The Malay Village site - the Wisma Geylang Serai community complex.
• The food - nasi padang, mee rebus and Malay dishes at their best in Singapore.

When to go

Ramadan, which moves through the year, brings the bazaar and the quarter at its liveliest. The market runs daily, busiest in the morning. Hari Raya is the peak.

What to expect

The Ramadan bazaar is extremely crowded and has drifted towards novelty food rather than traditional fare. The quarter is workaday outside it. The old Malay Village was demolished and what replaced it is a community centre.

Nearby

Katong is south, and Paya Lebar is the transport hub.

Key facts