Telok Blangah: The Forgotten Bugis Anchorage of Ancient Singapore
By Sarafian Salleh
Author of Tuah Bugis – Chronicles of the Seafaring People of Singapore (2023)
A Name that Hides an Older Story
The name Telok Blangah has long been accepted to mean the “Bay of the Pot.” This interpretation, repeated across articles and tourist guides, stems from the Malay word belanga, a clay pot used for cooking curry or stew. Indeed, when viewed from the sea, the bay’s curved coastline may resemble a giant cooking vessel.
Yet, behind this familiar explanation lies a deeper and more intriguing story. An old Berita Harian article hinted that Blangah may not be about pots at all, but rather a Bugis word related to anchorage - suggesting that the area could have been a maritime hub far older than the colonial town we know today.
Reconsidering “Blangah” — From Pot to Port
In Malay, labuh means “to drop anchor,” and pelabuhan means “harbour” or “anchorage.” These words share roots with the Bugis–Makassar term labuang or mallabuang, which carry the same meaning. The phonetic resemblance between labuang and blangah is striking.
It is plausible that over centuries of speech and trade, mallabuang softened through local tongues into balangah or blangah. This linguistic shift is consistent with how maritime place names evolve across the Malay Archipelago, shaped by oral transmission, regional dialects, and foreign transcription.
If that is the case, Telok Blangah would translate not as “Bay of the Pot,” but as “Anchorage Bay.”
An Ancient Anchorage Before Empire
Long before Raffles founded a trading post in 1819, the southern shores of Singapore were already frequented by seafarers. Historical records, from the Sejarah Melayu to Chinese and Arab navigators’ logs, describe Temasek as a thriving maritime node between the 13th and 14th centuries.
When Sang Nila Utama (Sri Tri Buana) is said to have arrived in 1299, his choice of anchoring at Telok Blangah would have been guided by its natural features — a sheltered bay, deep waters, and access to inland rivers. These were the same maritime criteria used for centuries by Malay and Bugis sailors when selecting ports of call.
In this sense, Telok Blangah was not a random landing site but a logical maritime choice — a protected harbour ideally suited for large sailing vessels. It may have functioned as an entrepôt, with early administrators such as nakhoda (ship captains), shahbandar (harbour masters), and temenggong (local wardens) overseeing trade and navigation.
The Bugis Connection
Christian Pelras, in his seminal work The Bugis (1996), described how the Bugis and Makassar peoples from South Sulawesi expanded their maritime presence across the Malay world from the 17th century onwards. After the fall of Makassar to the Dutch in 1669, many Bugis fled to Riau, Selangor, and Johor establishing coastal settlements, shipyards, and trading outposts.
By the late 18th century, Bugis navigators were already active throughout the Singapore Straits. When Raffles arrived, they were well-known for their trading fleets and sea networks stretching from Sulawesi to the Riau–Lingga Archipelago.
Thus, it is entirely possible that Bugis seafarers had already frequented or even settled at Telok Blangah before the British period. The very name Blangah, if derived from Bugis labuang, could be the last linguistic trace of their early anchorage on the island.
Clues from the Coastline
Historical maps and colonial surveys reveal several telling clues. The area around modern Harbour Front and Kampong Bahru was historically known as Kampung Nakhoda, literally “Village of the Ship Captain.” Such names were never accidental. They reflected the occupations and status of their inhabitants.
The term nakhoda (from Arabic nakhuda, meaning shipmaster) was widely used among Malay and Bugis traders. Its presence near Telok Blangah strengthens the idea that the bay once hosted a maritime community led by captains and traders, not farmers or inland settlers.
Even in the 19th century, when Bugis traders officially settled along the Rochor River to form Kampong Bugis, many oral traditions still associated the southern coast with earlier Bugis movements. The sheltered bay and its access to the Singapore Strait made it an ideal anchorage for fleets arriving from the Riau and Selayar islands.
Blangah as a “Matured Estate” of Ancient Temasek
To imagine Telok Blangah as a “matured estate” of ancient Singapura is not far-fetched. Like today’s modern port, it was probably a multi-ethnic maritime settlement, drawing traders, craftsmen, and sailors who lived by the rhythm of the sea.
Arab geographers referred to this region as part of the “islands of Zabag,” famed for gold and spices, while Chinese accounts mentioned Temasek’s bustling harbour. European navigators later confirmed the area’s natural depth and protection from monsoon winds.
The Bugis, being among the most skilled sailors of the archipelago, would have naturally recognised the strategic and navigational advantages of the bay. Their long familiarity with the currents, reefs, and seasonal winds could explain why their linguistic imprint >> Blangah >> remained embedded in the toponymy of Singapore.
Reclaiming the Maritime Memory
Modern Singapore’s rapid urbanisation has reshaped the landscape, but the sea remains in the nation’s DNA. The name Telok Blangah is more than a geographic label. It is a living echo of the island’s maritime soul.
If we accept the Bugis origin of Blangah, then this place was not merely a poetic bay but a functional harbour, possibly one of the earliest Bugis settlements in Singapore which perhaps predates the arrival of Sang Nila Utama because when the Pelembang Prince arrived Temasek, there was already Telok Blangah as mentioned in Sejarah Melayu. The story invites us to look beyond colonial timelines and recognise the indigenous maritime layers that predate 1819, the networks of Orang Laut, Malays, and Bugis who made these waters home.
In this light, Telok Blangah stands not as a colonial afterthought, but as the original port of Singapura, shaped by centuries of seafaring knowledge, trade, and cultural exchange.
References
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Pelras, C. (1996). The Bugis. Oxford: Blackwell Publishers.
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Andaya, L. Y. (1995). The Bugis-Makassar Diasporas. Journal of the Malaysian Branch of the Royal Asiatic Society, 68(1), 119–138.
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Sopher, D. E. (1965). The Sea Nomads: A Study of the Maritime Boat People of Southeast Asia. Singapore: National Museum.
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Turnbull, C. M. (2009). A History of Modern Singapore, 1819–2005. NUS Press.
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National Library Board Singapore. (n.d.). “Telok Blangah.” Singapore Infopedia.
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Salleh, S. (2023). Tuah Bugis – Chronicles of the Seafaring People of Singapore. Bugis Temasek Publishing.
