Gedung Kuning
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Gedung Kuning, also known as the Yellow Mansion, is a former Malay palace in Singapore. It is located within the Malay Heritage Centre, near Masjid Sultan in Kampong Glam. The palace, together with the adjacent Istana Kampong Glam, and compounds were refurbished as part of the development of the heritage centre in 2004.
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[edit] History
Gedung Kuning was built around 1860. Tengku Mahmoud of Johor, Sultan Hussein Shah's grandson, once stayed in the palace for a short time. The house was sold after his death to Haji Yusoff Haji Mohamed Noor, a Malay entrepreneur and philanthropist in Singapore, in 1912. His family owned Gedung Kuning until 1999 when the mansion was acquired by the Singapore Government.
It is believed that the mansion was painted yellow to reflect its royal links as Malays consider yellow to be a royal colour. The building was gazetted for conservation in 1999 together with the Istana Kampong Glam.
[edit] Present
Today, the building has been restored and converted into a restaurant known as Tepak Sireh, named after the traditional metal container for storing betel leaves used for chewing. The restaurant offers an authentic Malay dining experience, serving traditional Malay cuisine such as nasi padang. It is also a venue for traditional Malay weddings, which come complete with royal entourage, court dance and traditional Malay rites and costumes.
[edit] References
- National Heritage Board (2006), Discover Singapore - Heritage Trails, ISBN 981-05-6433-3
- Tommy Koh et al. (2006), Singapore: The Encyclopedia, Editions Didier Millet and National Heritage Board, ISBN 981-4155-63-2
