The word ‘Siglap’ is a transliteration
of the Malay ‘Si-Gelap’, which can mean ‘the dark’ or ‘hidden’. There are
several accounts theories as to how the place came to be called ‘Siglap’. One
account says that the area begot its name because of the extremely dense
vegetation in the area, making it rather dark, even in bright daylight.
However, the most plausible explanation has to do with the only total eclipse
of the sun Singapore has ever experienced, on 4 March 1821 at 0611 hrs GMT or
1341 hrs local time. It lasted for 2 minutes and 41 seconds.[1]
The diagram below shows the trajectory of the umbral shadow cast by the eclipse
in 1821.
Because ‘Siglap’ is an English transliteration,
it has also been spelt as ‘Seglap’, ‘Segalap’ and ‘Seegelap’
[1] Solar Eclipses in
the period 1501 CE to 2100 CE (Calculator) http://astro.ukho.gov.uk/eclipse/ Singapore_Singapore.html
(accessed 1 May 2015).
The Legend of Tok Lassam
The Serajah
Melayu (Malay Annals) mentions 7 important villages or kampongs in 14th
century Singapore, but not Kampong Siglap. This means that Kampong Siglap is of
a much more recent vintage. The one name which has constantly been linked with
Kampong Siglap is Tok Lassam. According to Ibn Jamaludin al-Kassim, it was the
Sumatran Prince, Tok Lassam, who named the village Siglap after witnessing the
solar eclipse of 1821.[1] There
are several versions of the Tok Lassam legend, the first of which seems more
plausible.[2]
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