Tanah Merah, Singapore
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| English | Tanah Merah |
| Chinese | 丹那美拉 |
| (Pinyin | Dānnàměilā) |
| Malay | Tanah Merah |
| Tamil | தானா மேரா |
Tanah Merah is a neighbourhood in Singapore near the residential area of Bedok New Town. It is served by the Tanah Merah MRT Station.
[edit] Etymology
The name Tanah Merah is an old name that appears in the seventeenth century (1604) map by E.G. de Eredia on Singapore, and is referred as Tana Mera. This place name is likely to have been an important reference point for the orang laut (sea gypsies) in their activities in the region.
The Malay name for this area is probably derived from British references to this area based on the various surveys done. The name is derived from the red lateritic cliffs along the coast that were visible from the sea, hence the name Tanah Merah or "red land". The earliest written reference comes from James Horsburgh's 1806 chart of "Singapore and Malacca", which has the name "Red Cliffs". Later, two sets of red cliffs were identified in Franklin and Jackson's 1830 map: "Large Red Cliff" (Tanah Merah area) and "Small Red Cliff" (present Bedok area) and "2nd Red Cliffs" (Tanah Merah area). J.E. Tassin's 1836 Map of Singapore refers to the area as "1st Red Cliffs" (Bedok area) and "2nd Red Cliffs" (Tanah Merah area). While the other place names in Singapore were mentioned by their Malay names in the above maps, this area was recorded by its English reference, which shows that it had not as yet been given a local name. Later, the road leading to "Large Red Cliff" was named "Tanah Merah Besar Road" while the other was named "Tanah Merah Kechil Road". Besar means "large" while kechil means "little" in Malay.
The presence of weathered lateritic soil provided the red-orange colouring of the area that led to its name even before Raffles' founding of Singapore. The exposed red lateritic soils were probably visible to many passing boats and hence the "landmark" was captured in early maps of Singapore.
[edit] History
When land reclaimation works began in the early 1970s, most of the coastal hills were levelled and dumped into the sea to create the present East Coast. The East Coast Parkway was constructed almost completely on reclaimed land. The location of Tanah Merah Kechil cliff is where Temasek Primary School now stands. One can still see where the hills abrubtly end at the junction of Bedok South Avenue 3 and Upper East Coast Road at one end, and New Upper Changi Road at the other end.
Tanah Merah Besar was a large coastal cliff located approximately at the southern end of Changi Airport Terminal 3. Its base was exposed to large tidal surges which created a 'thunderous roar' as the waves crashed on its rocky base and the sound echoed in the hollows and cavelets. It was reported that the booming sound was loud enough to be heard at a nearby village, especially during the monsoon season. Hence the name of that village, Kampong Ayer Gemuroh, or Thundering Water Village. Now, the only reference to the village is a drainage canal sometimes referred to as Ayer Gemuroh Canal, which was once Sungei Ayer Gemuroh, that runs along the West Perimeter Fence of Changi Airport, behind Changi Prison.
[edit] Reference
- Victor R Savage, Brenda S A Yeoh (2004), Toponymics - A Study of Singapore Street Names, Eastern University Press, ISBN 981-210-364-3
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