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Al-Abrar Mosque This mosque was originally erected as a thatched building n 1827 and was also called Masjid Chulia and Kuchu Palli, which in Tamil cans "hut mosque." The building that stands today was built in the 1850s, and even though it faces Mecca, the complex conforms with the grid of the neighNurhood's city streets. In the late 1980s, the mosque underwent major renovations that enlarged the mihrab and stripped away some of the ornamental yualities of the columns in the building. The one-story prayer hall was extended upward into a two-story gallery. Little touches like the timber window panels and fanlight windows have been carried over into the new renovations.

Chinatown Heritage Centre, This block of old shophouses in the cen!cr ofthe Chinatown heritage district has been converted into a display that tells r he story of the Chinese immigrants who came to Singapore to find work in the carly days of the colony. Walk through rooms filled with period antiques repli,ating coolie living quarters, shops, clan association houses and other places that were prominent in daily life. It reminded me of the museum on Ellis Island in New York City that walks visitors through the immigrant experience of the early 1900s. Like Ellis Island, this display also has detailed descriptions to explain each element of the immigrant experience.

Jamae Mosque was built by the Chulias, Tamil Muslims who were some of the earlier immigrants to Singapore, and who had a very influential hold over Indian Muslim life centered in the Chinatown area. The Chulias built not only this mosque, but Masjid Al-Abrar and the Nagore Durgha Shrine as well. Jamae Mosque dates from 1827, but wasn't completed until the early 1830s. The mosque stands today almost exactly as it did then.

While the front gate is typical of mosques you'd see in southern India, inside most of the buildings reflect the neoclassical style of architecture introduced in administrative buildings and homes designed by George Coleman and favored by the Europeans. There are also some Malay touches in the timber work. A small shrine inside, which may be the oldest part of the mosque, was erected to memorialize a local religious leader, Muhammad Salih Valinva.
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