Amidst Singapore’s rapid urbanisation and commercialisation, we pay our respects to the remaining cemeteries.
Our little red dot may be a modern metropolis, but she also holds deep connections to the past through historical sites. One way to uncover these stories is through Singapore’s cemeteries and keramats (sacred graves). These final resting places are not just markers of death – they offer a unique window into the personal histories, cultures, and traditions that helped shape our island’s heritage. Whether you’re a history buff or simply curious, these spaces reveal a side of Singapore that’s often overlooked.
Explore these intriguing cemeteries in Singapore
1. Jalan Kubor Cemetery
Of course, we’re kicking off our list with Singapore’s oldest Muslim cemetery. Its name translates to “cemetery road” in Malay; the burial ground is also known as Sultan Kramat and Victoria Street Cemetery. Initially, the area comprised three plots for royalty and their descendants, Indian Muslims, and the Malay community, all located close to one another. It’s also the final resting place for traders and individuals from our region, like Riau and Palembang.
As the plots became more crowded, the sections merged and became known as Jalan Kubor. The grounds were officially closed in 1875, though burial continued until the 1960s. You can spot the cemeteries near the Malabar Mosque in Bugis.
Jalan Kubor Cemetery, 7 Jalan Kubor, Singapore 199205
2. Kampong Sungei Tiga Chinese Cemetery
Pulau Ubin has a few cemeteries that call the offshore island home. One is this Chinese burial ground, where dozens of tombs lie. Despite belonging to different dialect groups, the deceased are interred in the same plot. This is the opposite of the mainland, where everyone’s inhumed according to their dialect groups.
Another distinctive feature here is that couples are buried together. The gravestones were carved when the first spouse passed away, with the other space left for the surviving significant other, coloured in red or green to indicate they’re still alive. When that person died, the coffin was slipped in from the side of the grave and reposed next to the first partner.
Kampong Sungei Tiga Chinese Cemetery, Pulau Ubin
3. Graves of Tan Tock Seng, Chua Seah Neo, and Wuing Neo
There are many things to see and do at Tiong Bahru, including discovering the tomb of one of Singapore’s most important early pioneers. Tan Tock Seng’s grave is a stone’s throw away from Tan Boon Liat Building, though you won’t see his final resting place immediately. Instead, as you cross over via the overhead bridge, you’ll come across cemeteries belonging to Chua Seah Neo and Wuing Neo, Mr Tan’s daughter-in-law and granddaughter-in-law, respectively. Turn right and walk a little further down and you’ll finally come face to face with the actual tomb.
It’s said that Tan Tock Seng was originally buried at an undisclosed location before his son, Tan Kim Ching, exhumed and re-interred his father’s remains at its current site, which he had acquired before his wife’s passing.
Graves of Tan Tock Seng, Chua Seah Neo, and Wuing Neo, Outram Hill (near bus stop 06069)
4. Kampong Wak Selat Muslim Cemetery
Here’s a forgotten Muslim cemetery in Singapore, located next to Jalan Wak Selat near the Kranji Loop. Some graves date back to the 1940s; most of them are crumbling into nothingness. There used to be a village at this site, established at the end of WWII and demolished in 1993 alongside one-half of the burial ground for road widening works. The remaining cemetery is in danger of being exhumed and moved to the nearby Choa Chu Kang Cemetery due to the redevelopment of the Kranji Water Reclamation Plant.
Kampong Wak Selat Muslim Cemetery, 48H Jalan Wak Selat, Singapore 739607
5. Seah Eu Chin’s Tomb
Singapore’s interesting road names can be attributed to various reasons. Eu Chin Street in Tiong Bahru or Seah Street in Bugis are said to be named after a wealthy Teochew merchant. Seah Eu Chin was a prominent businessman who became known for his extensive pepper and gambier plantations; he was also the founder of Ngee Ann Kongsi, a charitable foundation in Singapore.
He passed away in September 1883 and was buried in Grave Hill, part of his plantation on Thomson Road. The area is supposedly the Seah family’s burial ground too. Seah Eu Chin’s final resting place almost suffered the fate of other neglected cemeteries in Singapore until his tomb was found in November 2012. Since then, many people have chipped in to maintain the burial site.
Seah Eu Chin’s Tomb, 19 Toa Payoh West, Singapore 318876
6. Bukit Brown Cemetery
Opened in 1922, Bukit Brown Cemetery was estimated to house 100,000 tombs across 233 hectares of land. Many Chinese pioneers are interred there, including Tan Ean Kim, co-founder of Oversea-Chinese Bank (the predecessor of OCBC), and Tan Lark Sye, co-founder of Nanyang University (which merged with another institution to form the National University of Singapore). The area was known as Tai Tuan Shan or Xing Wang Shan before officially adopting the name Bukit Brown after George Henry Brown.
This Chinese municipal burial ground has been on everyone’s lips since it was earmarked for housing. The construction of Lornie Highway, which cuts through the now-defunct graveyard, resulted in the exhumation of 5,000 graves. Heritage and environmental groups continue to fight for the cemetery’s preservation, citing social, cultural, and ecological concerns.
P.S. There’s an outdoor memorial installation currently displayed at Bukit Brown Cemetery. Sounds Of The Earth features 80 unclaimed artefacts (mostly gravestones) and aims to highlight the impact of development in Singapore.
Bukit Brown Cemetery, 36C Lorong Halwa, Singapore 298637
7. Kubur Kassim Cemetery
Siglap is often cited as one of the most haunted ‘hoods, and the presence of this cemetery doesn’t help matters. It’s not hard to miss this spot, thanks to the yellow and green gate adorned with Arabic inscriptions.
Kubur Kassim Cemetery was established in the 1920s as the burial ground for Muslims living there. It was initially known as the Grave of the Wakaff Siglap Hill – sounds like an Asian horror film, don’t you think? Many of the graves belonged to many prominent figures in the Malay community, including Dr. Hafeezudin Sirajuddin Moonshi, one of Singapore’s Islamic doctors. Tombstones are draped in coloured cloth, denoting the person’s status.
Venture a little further inside and you might notice some tombs dedicated to Orang Bunian, a race of supernatural beings in Malay folklore. These folks are invisible to most humans unless you have the “spiritual sight”. Their existence could be attributed to the many scary tales you’ve heard about Siglap.
Kubur Kassim Cemetery, 426 Siglap Road, Singapore 455933
8. Shuang Long Shan Cemetery
Living near a burial ground might sound scary, but if you ask the folks living in the Commonwealth estate, they’ll probably say otherwise. Shuang Long Shan Cemetery, which also goes by Yin Foh Kuan Hakka Cemetery and Holland Close Graveyard, is Singapore’s last remaining Hakka graveyard. It was established in 1887 by the Yin Fo Fui Kun association for burial and ancestral worship.
The 1.8-hectare compound also consists of an ancestral hall, a memorial hall, and a columbarium. You can spot the neatly arranged tombstones while on a train ride towards Buona Vista or from the high floors of the surrounding HDB blocks. There are whispers of the cemetery having to make way for development, but until then, this area remains.
Shuang Long Shan Cemetery, 7B Commonwealth Avenue, Singapore 142007
9. Marang Cemetery
The Mount Faber area is littered with historical gems. Have you checked out the abandoned Keppel Hill Reservoir? If you plan to trek through this neck of the woods, we recommend setting aside some time to visit Marang Cemetery.
Located at Marang Road, this site contains over 200 graves and was originally an old Malay village called Kampong Marang. The burial ground was uneven, overrun with dense vegetation, and left forgotten until a local grave researcher came across it in 2008. Since then, a former villager has stepped forward and shared more information about the folks interred there, including Ahmad (Marang) Omar, the kampung’s founder.
Marang Cemetery, 45 Marang Road, Singapore 099280
10. Japanese Cemetery Park
This hidden park in Hougang houses the largest Japanese graveyard in Southeast Asia. Established in 1891, it’s the resting place of Singapore’s Japanese community, with over 900 tombstones belonging to businessmen, professionals, and those who died in WWII. Burials were stopped in 1973, and the entire area was declared a memorial park in 1987.
Visitors can admire stone sculptures of Hinomoto Jizo (the guardian deity of children and travellers) and peep into the prayer hall. The Japanese Association of Singapore maintains the cemetery park to this day; it’s often regarded as one of our country’s most IG-worthy spots. But while you pose for the ‘gram, please be mindful of the graves.
Japanese Cemetery Park, 825B Chuan Hoe Avenue, Singapore 549854
Visit these sacred keramats in Singapore
Besides the standard cemeteries, Singapore is also home to keramats: sacred graves or shrines of saints, holy persons, or rulers of dynasties. Keramats aren’t just mere final resting places – they serve a greater significance, depending on the individual. People visit such sites as a form of respect or worship, though the latter remains a source of contention with Islamic clerics. These grave shrines have declined over the years, making them a rare sighting in our country today.
11. Keramat Habib Noh
Ask any Muslim in Singapore if they know this sacred shrine, and they’ll respond in the affirmative. Located in Tanjong Pagar, it houses the tomb of Habib Noh bin Mohammed al-Habshi, a holy man revered during his life and after his death. Initially, he was to be buried at a Muslim cemetery, but his coffin remained unmovable. It was then revealed he specifically chose Mount Palmer as his final resting place… and the rest is history.
A prayer hall was built near the shrine, which was replaced with a larger mosque named Masjid Haji Muhammad Salleh, after one of Habib Noh’s good friends. The government had planned to demolish the tomb in the 1980s so the East Coast Parkway expressway could cut through the area. However, the contractor faced many challenges, including the bulldozer being inoperable before the destruction. Eventually, plans were changed, and the shrine was left alone.
Keramat Habib Noh, 37 Palmer Road, Singapore 079424
12. Keramat Sultan Iskandar Shah
If you’ve been to Fort Canning Park one too many times, you’ll remember coming across this architectural structure a little further down from Sang Nila Utama Garden. This shrine is dedicated to Sultan Iskandar Shah, the last monarch of Singapore. However, it’s alleged that the tomb might not belong to the former sultan, as he fled the country in 1389 and died in Malacca in 1414. Instead, the venerated grave might be linked to Sang Nila Utama.
In any case, the spot is regarded as a historical reminder of Singapore’s storied past. The structure and its surroundings have been renewed many times over the years; the path to the shrine is lined with herbs and spices.
Keramat Sultan Iskandar Shah, 7 Canning Rise, Singapore 179869
13. Keramat Sharifah Rogayah
Keep your eyes peeled for this lone grave as you walk through Duxton Plain Park in Keong Saik. According to the engraving, this shrine is dedicated to Sharifah Rogayah, who is said to be related to Habib Noh. Unfortunately, there’s not a lot of information about her, and her family has declared that her remains aren’t in the tomb. (She’s supposedly buried at Paterson Road.)
Urban legend has it that the shrine was revealed to a young boy in a divine dream, during which Habib Noh instructed him to look for his granddaughter. The boy has been the tomb’s sole caretaker ever since.
Keramat Sharifah Rogayah, Duxton Plain Park (behind the row of shophouses at Keong Saik Road)
14. Keramat Radin Mas
Telok Blangah was the former home of Radin Mas Ayu, whose name directly translates to “beautiful princess”. History buffs should be familiar with this Javanese royalty’s story. She came to Singapore in the late 19th century with her father and a loyal servant to escape being murdered. During her adult years, she threatened to marry her stepmother’s nephew to save her father’s life. We won’t spoil the ending, but it’s a sad one. Her legacy lives on through an iconic film released in 1959, a village that has since been cleared for modern housing, a primary school, and a former mosque, all named after her.
Radin Mas is buried at the foot of Mount Faber, and her shrine still receives visitors today. Previously, the tomb was enclosed by the roots of two banyan trees, which were removed as they were thought to be diseased. There was a spring near the shrine, which was believed to have healing properties. The water was piped underground and covered in cement after residents complained of visitors disturbing the area.
Keramat Radin Mas, 10 Mount Faber Road, Singapore 099199
Do you dare to visit these cemeteries and keramats in Singapore?