MS Investigates: The mysterious tomb inside a tiny building by the Kallang river
Tucked away at the unassuming Moonstone Lane, along the banks of the Kallang River in Singapore, lies a Muslim tomb, a nearly forgotten piece of the country’s history.
Within a small annex built into the side of a warehouse lies the tomb of Syarifah Zainah Al‑Habsyi, a Muslim woman who was believed to have died in the 1930s.
A grave in a warehouse
The story of how the tomb came to be at its unusual location started some time after 1949.
Back then, a Hindu businessman named Bachoo Singh had purchased the land at 49 Moonstone Lane for the purpose of building a warehouse.
In doing so, he discovered that the grave of Syarifah Zainah was already present on the land.
Instead of removing it, he built a new structure so that the grave was left undisturbed.
Source: Google Maps
The small, windowed red-roofed annex — which shielded the grave from the elements — became a permanent fixture that was partially connected to the main warehouse.
According to an Urban Redevelopment Authority (URA) heritage guide, a map from 1932 already shows a keramat, or a tomb built over a Muslim grave, on the lot.
Who lies buried beneath the mysterious tomb?
According to heritage‑community research, the woman buried along Moonstone Lane is Syarifah Zainah Al‑Habsyi, a descendant of the Aljunied family and related to the famed healer saint Habib Noh.
Her tomb happens to be one of the few hidden “sacred shrines” remaining in Singapore today.
Source: Uncover65 – Explore Singapore on Facebook
For the uninitiated, Moonstone Lane sits beside the Kallang River and once formed part of the kampong‑style settlement of Kampong Marican.
