There's always something new coming up in Singapore, be it a new building, a shopping mall, or MRT station. Located in a prime location, looking stylish and modern, while the land for the dead is tucked away in the far corners of Singapore, away from the public's eye.
Due to the limited amount of land in Singapore, the law states that the burial period for all graves would be limited to 15 years, and once that time is up, grave plots will be exhumed or 'moved'.
Gone are the days where cemeteries coexisted side-by-side with the living. Today, the only cemetery that's still open for burials is the Choa Chu Kang Cemetery Complex. Nonetheless, there are still some heritage cemeteries remaining – and you might be surprised to find some of them right next to housing estates.
Bukit Brown Cemetery
More than 100,000 traditional Chinese graves are situated here, and it’s not only the city’s largest cemetery but also one of its oldest, with the first grave dating back to 1833.
Buried here are also several Singaporeans whose names are literally part of our city today – names like Chew Boon Lay, Chew Joo Chiat and Tan Kheam Hock, as well as the 19th-century businessman Ong Sam Leong whose grave is 600 sqm (for context, that's about six times bigger than the average HDB flat!)
Bukit Brown Cemetery has also become one of the city’s prime spots for birdwatchers and nature lovers, with over 90 resident and migrant species of birds calling it home. Almost a quarter of Singapore’s threatened bird species live here, including the critically endangered white-bellied woodpecker.
Address: 36C Lor Halwa, Singapore 298637
Jalan Kubor Cemetery
Dating back to the early 19th century, Jalan Kubor Cemetery is the oldest Muslim burial ground in Singapore. The cemetery is made up of three distinct plots serving Malays, Indian Muslim Singaporeans, and the descendants of sultans separately.
Though three distinct plots seem to suggest a degree of ethnic exclusivity, those resting throughout the grounds come from diverse backgrounds. Visitors might notice an assortment of funereal architecture styles that reflect this, along with inscriptions in Arabic, Malay, Javanese and Bugis Aksara, English, Mandarin, and Gujarati.
Due to overcrowding, the sultans’ burial ground closed in 1875, with the Malay burial ground following suit a few decades later in 1901. The Indian Muslim burial ground, remained open until after World War II, with its most recent burial taking place in 1963.
In the decades since, the cemetery has fallen into relative disrepair. Tree roots curl around the headstones and uneven carpets of grass grow on the stone steps, making it look like Mother Nature is claiming them back into the earth.
Address: 7 Jln Kubor, Singapore 199205
Yin Foh Kuan Cemetery
Hidden in plain sight, Yin Foh Kuan Cemetery is the last remaining Hakka cemetery, established in 1887 for the Yin Fo Fui Kun clansmen to have a place for burial and ancestral worship.
Surrounded by housing estates and an MRT track, it makes a striking juxtaposition of life and death. But despite this, the cemetery is far from scary and is actually quite peaceful. You'll also notice the rows of neatly arranged identical tombstones, a far cry from the bold designs of most Chinese tombstones.
Having braved the onslaught of urban development back in the sixties, this historical little piece of heritage has survived the passing of time. However, this plot of land is being considered for a fresh wave of urban redevelopment by the government. We don't know when this place will succumb to new development plans, so do visit this place if you can.
Address: 9 Commonwealth Lane, Singapore 149551
Japanese Cemetery Park
Hidden in an estate in Hougang is the largest Japanese cemetery in Southeast Asia. The sprawling park contains nearly 1,000 graves of Japanese civilians in Singapore and has remained well-maintained over the decades by the Japanese Association.
Established in 1891 by three brothel keepers, Futaki Takajiro, Shibuya Ginji and Nakagawa Kikuzo as a burial ground for Japanese women brought to Singapore for prostitution but had no final resting place, other Japanese civilians during the pre-war days were eventually also buried here.
The memorial park also holds the ashes of Japanese soldiers, marines, airmen as well as war criminals who died or were executed here during the war. Some tombstones of significant figures here include Yamamoto Otokichi, the first Japanese resident in Singapore, and Field Marshall Count Hisaichi Terauchi, the Supreme Commander of Japanese Forces in Southeast Asia.
Address: 22 Chuan Hoe Ave, Singapore 549854
Kubur Kassim Cemetery
Located in the middle of a residential neighbourhood in Siglap, the old Muslim cemetery Kubur Kassim has been a source of ghost stories and urban legends. With tombs dedicated to 'orang bunian' – a sort of supernatural human-like being – it's easy to see why these stories persist.
Kubur Kassim is one of the oldest burial grounds in Singapore and was established way back in the 1920s. The first thing you'll notice before entering the grounds is the striking yellow and green gates which radiates the Indo-Saracenic style of a mixture of Mughal and classical European features, a popular architectural design in Malaya in the early 20th century.
The cemetery is the final resting place for many Muslims living in Siglap during the kampung days and other well-known community leaders, such as Che Lembek binte Abdin, the former headmistress of Kampong Glam Girls’ School during the Second World War, and former Singapore Municipal Commissioner Dr Hafeezudin Sirajuddin Moonshi, who became the first in Singapore to open a Muslim clinic in 1916.
However, the 90-year-old cemetery is facing the likelihood of exhumation, and the site has been earmarked for future residential development. Visit while you can!
Address: 426 Siglap Rd, Singapore 455933