Hajjah Fatimah Mosque

In front of you is one of the few mosques in the world named after a woman. Look at the minaret first: it resembles the steeple of an English church, and that's no accident.

1A shipping magnate from Malacca

Hajjah Fatimah was born in Malacca and married a Bugis merchant prince from Celebes. The sources disagree on what happened next: some say she was widowed, others that her husband went back home. What is certain is that she ended up running a shipping and trading business, something very unusual in the Singapore of her day.

She lived right here, on what was then the seafront, which is how Beach Road got its name. Robbers broke into her house twice, and the second time they set it on fire. She was away and escaped unharmed. In gratitude, she built a mosque on the site and a new house nearby. The work is dated to 1845 and 1846.

2Three cultures in one building

The building mixes European-style pointed windows and columns, a dome of Indo-Islamic inspiration and green-glazed Chinese tiles. The spire-shaped minaret leans about six degrees, because of damp ground and vibrations, which is why some people compare it to the Leaning Tower of Pisa.

Fatimah and her daughter, Raja Siti, rest in a mausoleum behind the mihrab.

The Alsagoff family, into which her daughter married, ran the mosque for generations. It has been a national monument since 1973.

3What to look for

• The minaret spire: look for its slight lean against the buildings behind.
• The golden dome with its crescent and star.
• The contrast between the small compound and the tower blocks around it.