Bukit Timah, Singapore

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Bukit Timah is the name of a hill as well as urban planning area in Central Singapore. The name Bukit Timah means "tin hill" in Malay. The name has been in use since the 19th century. It first appeared in the Franklin and Jackson map of 1828. There is a possibility that Bukit Timah was misnamed. According to historians, the original name of the hill was Bukit Temak, in reference to the temak trees. It was somehow corrupted to Bukit Timah, although no tin was found there.

Stone marking the summit of Bukit Timah
Author: Ch bristol (GFDL)

Bukit Timah Road is the longest road in Singapore, not counting the expressways. It is 25 km in length and was laid out as far back as 1845. During that time, the road ran through heavily forested area where tigers still roamed. It was reported in 1860 that 200 people working in the gambier and pepper plantations bordering the forest in Bukit Timah were killed by tigers.

Bukit Timah Road
Author: Terence Ong (GFDL) Within the Bukit Timah area is the Bukit Timah Nature Reserve, a major forested area at the heart of Singapore. It is a short distance from the residential neighbourhoods of Bukit Timah.

Schools in Bukit Timah include Anglo-Chinese School, Hwa Chong Institution, Methodist Girls' School, Nanyang Primary School, Nanyang Girls' High School, National Junior College, Pei Hwa Presbyterian Primary School, Raffles Girls' Primary School, Saint Joseph's Institution, and Singapore Chinese Girls' School.

Places of worship in Bukit Timah include Al-Huda Mosque, Bee Low See Temple, Bukit Timah Evangelical Free Church, Catholic Church of St Ignatius, Covenant Evangelical Free Church, Glory Presbyterian Church, Poh Tai Kok Temple, St John Chapel and St James Church. Retail premises include Bukit Timah Plaza, Bukit Timah Shopping Centre, Beauty World Centre

Getting there

Use the Bukit Timah Expressway (BKE) and Pan Island Expressway (PIE) to reach Bukit Timah. At present, it is not reached by the MRT. Nearest MRT station is the Bukit Batok MRT Station (NS2) on the North South Line.

In other words ...

Bukit Timah was known in Hokkien as Beh Chia Lor Boey (End of Horse Carriage Way). In Tamil, it is known as Eyam Malai (literal translation of "tin hill")
Bukit Timah Road was known in Hokkien as Tek Kha Kang'a K'yie (Bamboo Grove Riverside).