Tranquerah Mosque

This unassuming mosque on the road to Tranquerah holds a secret that changed the course of history — within its grounds lies the tomb of the Sultan who signed away Singapore lah! Transquerah Mosque, built in 1728, is one of the oldest mosques in Malaysia. For many years it served as the State Mosque of Malacca before the grand Masjid Al-Azim took over that role. But while the mosque itself is historically significant, it is the burial ground that draws historians and curious visitors from around the world. Here, beneath a modest canopy, rests Sultan Hussein Muhammad Shah of Johor. In 1819, this Sultan signed the fateful treaty with Sir Stamford Raffles that allowed the British East India Company to establish a trading post on the island of Singapore, kan? That single signature transformed a sleepy fishing village into what would become one of the greatest cities in Asia. Sultan Hussein received a yearly payment and the title of Sultan of Singapore, but the real beneficiaries were the British, who gained control of one of the most strategic locations in world trade. The story is more complicated than it first appears. Sultan Hussein's claim to the Johor throne was disputed...