Arab Street in Singapore
Arab Street in Singapore
is a neighborhood and the Muslim center of the city. There are two variants of the street’s name and explanations for it. In the first variant, the street is called Arab Street because of the many Arab traders who lived and worked there. The Chinese call the street jiau a koi (Javanese), because of the large number of natives of the island of Java who lived in the area..
Arab Street traditionally sells textiles; countless stores sell batiks, silks, sarongs, and many tailors have opened their ateliers here. Leather, bamboo and metal goods, as well as fishing equipment, are also well represented. Come early: most stores close after 5 p.m.
