Aljunied

Aljunied is a sub-urban area located in the central part of the city-state of Singapore. Named after Aljunied Road, it was formerly agricultural land which has since been heavily urbanised and presently comprises a variety of land uses. Today, Aljunied is a bustling neighbourhood with HDB flats with amenities like shops, schools, parks and recreational facilities, as well as quite a number of traditional Singaporean shophouses.

Aljunied
Subzone of Geylang Planning Area
Name transcription(s)
• Chinese	阿裕尼 Āyùní (Pinyin) A-jū-nî (Hokkien POJ)
• Malay	Aljunied (Rumi) الجنيد‎ (Jawi)
• Tamil	அல்ஜூனிட் Aljūṉiṭ (Transliteration)
Aljunied Location of Aljunied within Singapore
Coordinates: 1°18′59.19″N 103°52′58.73″E
Country	Singapore
Planning Area	Geylang Planning Area

Etymology

Syed Sharif Omar bin Ali Al Junied owned large tracts of agricultural land in the area. In Palembang, he had set up business after migrating from his hometown in Tarim, Yemen Syed Omar came from the well-respected Arab family who were descendants of Islamic prophet Muhammad.

Masjid Kampong Melaka was renamed Masjid Omar Kampong Melaka in his honour. The land where St Andrew's Cathedral stands was also donated by him. He and his family contributed largely thanks to the setting up of the Tan Tock Seng Hospital. Syed Omar's descendants continue to reside in Singapore.

Madrasah Aljunied was a leading Islamic religious school which produced many religious leaders of Southeast Asian countries.

Education

Kindergarten

• St Magdalene's Kindergarten

Primary schools

• Canossa Catholic Primary School

• CHIJ Our Lady of Good Counsel

• Geylang Methodist School (Primary)

• Kong Hwa School

Secondary schools

• Geylang Methodist Secondary School

Special schools

• Canossian School

Former schools

• MacPherson Secondary School

Politics

Aljunied formerly falls under Aljunied Constituency from 1959 to 1988. In 1968, the MacPherson area of Aljunied was under MacPherson Constituency and in 1988, renamed as MacPherson Single Member Constituency (SMC). In 1988, both wards were merged into Aljunied Group Representation Constituency (GRC).

In 1991, the Macpherson area went under Marine Parade GRC and then became its own individual constituency again as MacPherson Single Member Constituency (SMC) again in 1997. In 2001, the Macpherson area was merged back into Marine Parade GRC again and split back as MacPherson SMC again in 2015.

See also

• Aljunied MRT station
• Geylang East Public Library
• Buddhist Library (Singapore)
• Foo Hai Ch'an Monastery

References

• Victor R Savage, Brenda S A Yeoh (2003), Toponymics - A Study of Singapore Street Names, Eastern Universities Press, ISBN 981-210-205-1
• Thong Kheng Charitable Institution
• Syed Sharif Omar al-Junied
• Madrasah Aljunied al-Islamiah
• Masjid Omar Kampong Melaka