The search for the real history of Istana Kampong Gelam
- Karien van Ditzhuijzen
- Aug 20, 2025
- 13 min read
Updated: 5 days ago
Sometimes stories get a life of their own. They grow slowly over time, or one person makes an erroneous claim, others repeat it, and before you know it, it is generally accepted as truth. It’s a phenomenon that has always existed but that escalated in the era of the internet. After centuries pass by it is impossible to find out the 'true' facts of certain events, but we can try to get as close as we can by consulting original sources from the era.
The facts surrounding the history of Istana Kampong Gelam, and the details of when and by whom it was built, are often wrongly stated, even by reputable sources. Istana is the Malay word for palace, and Istana Kampong Gelam, currently housing the Malay Heritage Centre that after a long renovation is due to open again soon, is known for being the seat of the Sultan of Singapore. Who built this palace, and who lived there? Let’s try to unravel its story.
If you want to brush up on the early history of Singapore and the British takeover, you can read my earlier post on the Temenggongs of Singapore, where I go into more detail. It is important to know that there were two Malay rulers in Singapore at that time, the Temenggong who was the de facto leader of Johor and Singapore, and the formal head of state, the Sultan. The main ruling power was with the Temenggong, but the Sultan played an important role as a figurehead, both for symbolic and religious purposes. In 1819 Sultan Hussain was installed by the British as Sultan of the Straits, and he settled in what is now known as Kampong Gelam. It is often said that he was 'assigned' this location by the British, but as the land granted to the British in the 1819 treaty was only the small space around the Singapore river, I doubt this is true. With the rest of the island still under his sovereignty, the Sultan should have been able to choose his own seat. This prime location between the Kallang basin and the Rochor river had for a long time been a trading port, and before the British arrived in 1819 already had a settlement of regional traders, predominantly Bugis from Sulawesi. They had come to Singapore with the Temenggong some time before. There were also groups of orang laut living there, the indigenous population of the region, some of which had also followed the Temenggong to Singapore from Riau.
The trading community and the new Sultan's residence formed a Kota Raja - a traditional Malay royal port city, with at its core the residence of the Sultan. So what did this palace look like?
One of the earliest records I could find of what the Istana in Kampong looked like come from a travelogue by naturalist George Bennet who visited the Sultan twice, in 1830 and 1833. By then the power of the Malay rulers had been greatly reduced by the 1824 'Treaty of Friendship and Alliance' which took away sovereignty and many other rights from the Malay rulers, and that they were coerced into signing. By the 1830s Sultan Hussain's role was marginalised, and his means to make money limited. Bennet's descriptions of the ‘rajah’ are not flattering, they are of a corpulent, unhealthy, and unintelligible man - worded in a deeply racist way. On his first visit in 1830 he calls the house a ‘poor looking bungalow, surrounded by high walls.’ The complex has a large gateway guarded by watch towers. On his second visit in 1833 he mentions the Sultan seems fond of building and has developed his compound. He describes a European style brick house, that seems to be mainly used for receiving guests, as well as the construction of a building in the Chinese style, to replace the ‘old thatch palace’ that ‘seemed ready to fall about its ears’.
Unfortunately, there are no known pictures of Istana Kampong Gelam from the early 19th century. A map of the area, drawn in 1955 by historian Gibson-Hill, shows the 1820s compound of the Sultan as a few rectangles, but this is likely a simplified image. A more reliable map, a survey from half a century later (around 1875-1879) shows a single house in the compound. It is located on the right side of the compound when you enter from Sultan Gate. Could this be one of the buildings that Bennet described? It is not in the right location to be the current Istana, which suggests it was not built by then.
Many sources, even quite reputable ones, state the current Istana Kampong Gelam was built in 1841 by Tengku Ali, son of Sultan Hussain. (Tengku is a royal title used for members of the royal family). A plaque on the gate names the same date, although some suggest the plague merely commemorates the construction of the gate it sits on, not the building itself. This could be right, because something significant did happen around that time.
Let’s get back to Sultan Hussain. After the 1824 treaty he continued to live in Singapore. He would have felt disillusioned with the British, and after a scandal at court he moved to Melaka in 1834, where he died a year later. His son Tengku Ali was still very young at the time, and it wasn’t until he was 15 years old that he came back to Singapore, in 1840. Did this generally said to be fairly impoverished youth build himself a palace the very next year? It doesn’t seem likely. Tengku Ali did settle at the Kampong Gelam Royal compound and likely did some building or renovations to the existing structures.
For the next decades, Tengku Ali and his descendants tried to fight the powerful Temenggongs to reclaim their title and at least some of their land. The old Johor empire, of which Ali's late grandfather was the last Sultan, had been broken in pieces. The Southern parts, Riau and Lingga, had been cut off by the Anglo-Dutch treaty of 1824 and were ruled by Ali's cousins under Dutch hegemony. Singapore itself was firmly in the hands of the British. What was left, was Johor mainland.
Temenggong Daeng Ibrahim, who with his good business sense and strong relationships with the Chinese, had started developing Johor. He had connections, power, and money. And he had the favour of the British and many Malay royals in the region. Tengku Ali had little more than an impressive bloodline. In 1854 both men negotiated with the British for sovereignty of Johor, which was granted to Daeng Ibrahim in 1855. Tengku Ali got what I suspect must have felt like a consolation price: the small territory of Muar, south of Melaka, a patch of land with about 800 residents, and a monthly payment of $ 750 by the Temenggong for his loss. He was granted the title Sultan of Muar, so at least he outranked Daeng Ibrahim, who was still a mere Temenggong. Unfortunately, also this did not last long. After Sultan Ali’s death in 1877, there were again issues around succesion. To everyone's surprise, Sultan Ali had made his younger son Tengku Mahmud his heir, a young boy of only 11. His other son Tengku Alam, who was not only much older but also had a mother of higher birth, did not accept his fathers wishes, and a struggle ensued that made either son's claim tenuous. The young Tengku Mahmud had received a higher education than his older half brother - both of them attended Keasberry's Mount Zion Malay School, but only Tengku Mahmud continued his studies at Raffles Institute. He was taken onder the wings of Abu Bakar.
Following Sultan Ali's death an impoverished Muar had voted to join the thriving State of Johor Bahru (new Johor) under Daeng Ibrahim’s son Abu Bakar, who now called himself Maharaja of Johor. This meant that Tengku Alam, the direct descendant of Sultan Hussain, the eldest son of Sultan Mahmud, the last Sultan of the great Sultanate of Johor Lama (old Johor), was left with none of the pieces into which the old country was split. He didn’t accept defeat easily. In 1879 his followers ceremoniously installed Tengku Alam as Sultan Allaudin Alam Shah in Kampong Gelam, and although he told the British that this was to serve religious purposes (as the Sultan Mosque was under his patronage) and not to challenge Abu Bakar, later that same year he started a conflict in Northern Johor to do just that. It became known as the Jementah civil war. Abu Bakar declined help from the British and it didn’t take the mighty Maharaja long to crush the revolt. Tengku Alam returned to Singapore with empty hands.
Apologies for the long introduction, but all of this was needed to come to the core of my story: Tengku Alam, defeated, back in Singapore. Like his father Ali before him he had his illustrious lineage, and some followers. And then something interesting happened: In 1887 governor Sir Frederick Weld proposed to reserve a sum of $20.000 dollar to build a residence ‘fitting for this scion of an old Malay and Royal family.’ The council voted in favour, and Tengku Alam was also allocated a monthly allowance of $500 from the British on top of his payments by the (now) Sultan of Johor, Abu Bakar. Was it a consolation price to silence a prince robbed of his inheritance? A gesture to honour the old rulers of the land that had brought so much riches to the British? Perhaps even one to appease a guilty conscience? It is hard to know a century and a half later, but regardless of why, the palace was built. With money from the British although later court documents suggest it was partially funded by Tengku Alam himself.
On the 13th of August 1890, the key to this new house was ceremoniously handed to Tengku Alam in a ceremony by acting governor Dickson, amongst many dignitaries. The Straits Times of that day quotes the governor saying: 'I have much pleasure in handing you this key; and in expressing the hope that this house will be a pleasant place of residence to you for many years, and that it will bring you all the good luck we all wish you.'
This was duly translated to Tengku Alam, who, unlike his opponent Abu Bakar, did not speak English. Again, unfortunately, the luck did not last. Tengku Alam died just one year later, very suddenly, from dropsy, after (according to the Straits Times) he had eaten his ‘curry and rice with a good appetite’. Tengku Alam is buried in Sultan Mosque, and his tombs bears an inscription with the full title Sultan Allaudin Alam Shah, so at least in death he received the honours he was denied in life.
The Straits Times offered a nice description of the house too. There is no mention of it being painted yellow as it is now, which is the colour of the Malay royals, on the contrary it is described as being rather British in style: 'The house is situated in a by no means inviting locality at the Rochore end of Kampong Glam, and it is approached by a narrow lane, lined with blacksmiths shops and known as Sultan's Gates: after proceeding up this lane for some fifty yards the house is seen, standing in the middle of a large block of land totally devoid of shrubbery of ornament. The building is of quite an English type, and the counterpart can be seen in dozens of well kept residences about Tanglin: it bears on its facades no mark or insignia of royal occupation, or of being a Colonial present and would merely strike an uninformed observer as a well-built and commodious house. The lower storey contains a spacious dining room and the usual offices: the upper one a commodious drawing or reception room, and the usual complement of bedrooms. The house is partially furnished, and on the upper storey the furniture is well chosen but is thoroughly European and conventional. The house is fitted with gas to distribute which tasteful chandeliers have been hung and, on the whole, although one could wish Tungku Alam pleasanter environments, he has everything necessary toward making himself comfortable in his new residence.'
So that is the story of Istana Kampong Gelam. It was a gesture from the British colonial government to the main descendant of the once so illustrious Sultans of Johor, who's land they had taken from his ancestor. Little is known about who built the house, I have not been able to find drawings or other details of the architect or developer who made it. It wasn’t the famous firm of Swan and McLaren, who built so many of the colonial buildings of Singapore, including the current Sultan Mosque adjoining the Istana – as the company wasn’t established until 1892. It wasn't the architect Coleman whom it is often attributed to, as he was long gone by then.
In this unlucky family, things still didn’t improve. After Tengku Alam’s death a dispute about who should inherit the estate erupted, that went to court in 1897. Tengku Alam’s son Tengku Ali and his widow Tengku Miriam, opposed their uncle Tengku Mahmud (Tengku Alam’s brother, who I mentioned already had in fact been left the estate by their late father Sultan Ali originally, albeit before the current Istana was built) all claimed the family inheritance, consisting of the Istana Kampong Gelam and the monthly allowances. I'd be interested to know whether Mr Napier, Tengku Mahmud's lawyer, was a relative of the William Napier who built the Tyersall estate and was a close associate of Temenggong Abu Bakar?
The reports of the court proceedings in the Straits Times are quite fascinating, with Mr Napier recounting much of the history of the old Johor Sultanate, the ‘founding’ of British Singapore and the importance of the royal family. The terms of the 1824 treaty were discussed, and which rights these terms would give the descendants. As part of the treaty rewards, the Temenggong had received a grant of land in Telok Blangah, but no formal grant of land had ever been made to Sultan Hussain, who wasn’t as good at business or finances, even though his descendants had always been allowed to reside at the Istana Kampong Gelam estate. Napier also reminded the court that Sultan Ali nor his descendants ever had any rights to sovereignty of any territory in either Singapore or Johor, apart from Muar. Napier argued that 'The Kampong Gelam estate was reserved to Sultan Hussain or impliedly granted under the treaty of 1824.' The questions to be answered now were 'as to the tenure of the land’ and ‘as to whom on the death of Sultan Hussain it passed.'
Long story short, on the 23rd of December 1897 the Court of Appeal ruled that none of the three parties could rightfully claim to be the successor of Sultan Hussain. The estate therefore reverted to the Crown. It had been occupied by Tengku Alam's and his descendants without legal right or title. The Istana and its land became state land and it was no longer 'subject to the treaties which previously affected it.' It seems a strange turn of events after the colonial government itself had so generously gifted the house to Tengku Alam just seven years earlier. It is also interesting to note how the British colonials often so ironically describe their Malay counterparts as untrustworthy.
In 1904 the Sultan Hussain Ordinance was enacted, which stated that the descendants of Sultan Hussain could continue to live in the Kampong Gelam Estate, and in addition were granted a monthly allowance by the government. This continued until the 1990s, when about 170 residents were evicted and the Istana repurposed by the government to be made into the Malay Heritage Centre. By then, the building was dilapidated and in a bad state of repair. The residents were offered a resettlement package, as well as a joint allowance of $350,000 per annum for 30 years.
There are still many descendants of Sultan Hussain in Singapore. They now live ordinary lives, in houses and HDB flats, and hold regular jobs. They still carry their illustrious title of Tengku, a reminder of their family history, and the role they played in the region.
What will be interesting to research next is the history of the Gedung Kuning, or Rumah Bendahara, which adjoins the Istana in the royal compound. It was the house of Tengku Mahmud, but it is unclear whether he built it, or merely extended an earlier house on the same plot. Some suggest the base of the house could be very old, even the new structure mentioned in 1830s accounts. The 1893 map shown above shows a sizeable house in its location. Tengku Mahmud was a successful man and in 1907 he had drawings made up to further extend the house but unfortunately they were never executed: he died that year at Gedung Kuning. After that, the house was mortgaged to a Chettiar money lender by relatives.
Archival drawings show the house was extended or even rebuilt in 1920 by its then Chinese owner, which explains the difference in shape of the 1893 building with that of today. It would be interesting to find out what the original house of Tengku Mahmud looked like, and if and when he built it. It is also interesting to note that those same drawings from 1920 identify the adjoining Istana as 'Sultan Ali's residence' even though he had died in 1877, before the house was built.
It is still unclear why Gedung Kuning is was sometimes called the Bendahara House - the Bendahara, like the Temenggong, was a Malay high ranking noble, who in the Melaka and old Johor Sultanates held a position akin to prime minister. The Bendahara of Johor Lama had settled in Pahang, and similar to the Temenggong in Johor, became Sultan there eventually. The 1833 Bennet account mentions a house in this location that was used to house guests, which makes me wonder whether the Bendahara family from Pahang stayed in the house, thus giving the name? The families were closely related, Sultan Hussain had married a daughter of the Bendahara.
Or can the name refer to the illustrious forefather who started the bloodline to which the family of Sultan Hussain belonged, who was Bendahara before becoming Sultan, and because of whom the family is sometimes referred to as the Bendahara dynasty?
If you have any comments, corrections, information or leads, please do reach out or leave a comment below. If you like to learn more about Kampong Gelam's fascinating history, do consider hiring me for a guided walking tour. You will not only learn more about the Malay Royal family, but the many other people that made this vibrant and colourful neighbourhood their home and livelihood.
If you like to visit the Istana Kampong Gelam, the Malay Heritage is currently closed for renovations but is scheduled to open again around April 2026. I
I give free tours of Kampong Gelam as a docent for Friends of the Museum in association with the Malay Heritage Centre, for more information you can check out the FOM website here. Look out for my tour called 'Scents of Kampong Gelam.'
In the meanwhile, contact me directly for private tours of Kampong Gelam.
Sources:
All maps are taken from the Archives of Singapore: https://www.nas.gov.sg/archivesonline/
The images and photos come from the same site, apart from the first one which comes from the Malay Heritage Centre.
The Straits Times newspapers archive can be accessed via NewspaperSG: https://eresources.nlb.gov.sg/newspapers
Bennett, George. 1834. Wanderings in New South Wales, Batavia, Pedir Coast, Singapore, and China. (Volume 2)
RO Winstedt, The history of Johor 1365 - 1895
Comments