Singapore - A Story Told in Maps
INDIES GALLERY
By Eric Rosenkranz
INDIES GALLERY The map collection of Sake Rudmer Santema
By Eric Rosenkranz
Singapore & Jakarta ~ May 2021
Why is Singapore called Singapore? ~ A Story Told in Maps ~
Singapore is often called the “Lion City’, a name supposedly deriving from the Sanskrit words Singha, Lion, and Pura, City. Further evidence purportedly comes from the Malay Chronicles, a historical compilation written in the 15th century, which tells the story of a 13th century Palembang Prince named Sang Nila Utama who came to the island, saw an animal he was told was a lion, and named the city after it. However, the earliest known copy of the Chronicles dates from 1612, more than 300 years after these events were said to occur. The animal the Prince was said to have seen had a red body, black head and a white breast (unlike most lions) and we know today that no lion ever graced the island, nor was there a city at the time the Prince arrived. So, if we might doubt the Lion City origin of the name
Singapore, how do we search for another explanation?
Bar mingapara
It turns out that maps of the last few hundred years tell a different story. From them, we can see that the island had a different name before it was named “Singapore” and that it was the waterways around the island that first carried this distinctive name. Our journey begins in the early 1500s when European explorers first started sailing to Asia from the west. This 1522 map by Laurent Fries has written at the foot of South East Asia the word “Bar mingapara”. An earlier version by another cartographer writes the name “Bar Xingapara”. Other maps of the same era write at this area
“Gimgaparaa” and “Samgapura”.
Folio showing “Samgapura” from the Book of Francisco Rodrigues, O Livro de Francisco Rodrigues, the year 1513 The placement of the word on all of these maps indicates that the name is referring to a body of water, especially as
what we now call Singapore island is not shown at all.
Giacomo Gastaldi’s map India Tercera Nova Tabula from 1548 changes things slightly. Now we can see, in the water east of the Malaccan peninsula, a cape called “Cape Cincapula “
Singapore Called "Cape Cincapula” the year 1561 One of the earliest maps of Southeast Asia from the first edition of “Geographia di Claudio Tolomeo” by Girolamo Ruscelli. Size
Price
TEXT by Erik NEEDED C. Cingatola 2x named on this map
Singapore Called “C.Cingatola” , the year 1593 A scarce map of eastern Asia, published by Gerard de Jode in the year 1593 in Antwerp, Belgium. This rare black and white map, extending from China and the Philippines to India and Mongolia, is among the most influential maps of Eastern Asia published in the 16th Century. Drawn and engraved directly after Giacomo Gastaldi's 4-sheet wall map of
15,800 USD.
Price
1593
Year
75 by 50 cm.
Size
Southeast Asia, this map had a major influence on the work of later map makers.
Maps for the next 50 years referred to this “Singapore Cape” as can be seen in this beautiful 1598 map by De Bry where you can read “C. de Cincapura” running down the side. While this large land mass appears to be an island, it is in fact the southern part of the Malay Peininsua, separated from the mainland by an imaginary “river”. This non existant river existed on many maps of the time.
Singapore named “C. de Cincapura” , the year 1598 Map of Sumatra, Borneo, Java, and the southern part of the Malay Peninsula. The map shows the dangerous southern route to the Spice Islands via the Java Sea.
( read more about this map on www.IndiesGallery.com )
The little known Dutch engraver Barent Langenes in 1609 published this map of Sumatra and the Malay peninsula (with East at the top) showing “Sincapura”, once again as a cape at the bottom of the eastern side of the Malaccan peninsula. As in previous maps, Singapore island is not shown.
Singapore named “Sinca pura”, the year 1598 A map of Sumatra and southern Malaysia focusing on the strait of Malacca with Indo-china orientated with true North to the left. First appearing in the 1598 edition of Langenes Caert-Thresoor.
13 by 9 cm. 440 USD.
Size Price
Cincapura & Sincapura Maps showing Singapore
Singapore named “Cincapura”, the year 1597 This 445-year-old map by Abraham Ortelius comes from the famous and important Theatrum Orbis Terrarum, the first uniformly-sized, systematic collection of maps ever produced and hence is generally referred to as the first true atlas. This unique map showed in the late 16th century the best readily available information on Southeast Asia and the East Indian Islands from Italian, Portuguese and Spanish sources. Extending from Portuguese India in the west, through China, Japan, Southeast Asia and the East Indies (Indonesian archipelago), including New Guinea, to the Northwest coast of America.
372 by 485 mm. 1575 4800 USD.
Size Year Price
Singapore named “Sinca pura”, they year ca.1600 A so-called "miniature map” map of Singapore and Sumatra, oriented with north to the right. The equator is prominently shown through the middle of the map, which also shows portions of Java and the Malay Peninsula. A large ship and two decorative cartouches complete the composition.
ca.1600 13 by 10 cm. 470 USD.
Publication Dimensions Price
Singapore named “Sincapura”, they year ca.1600 A miniature map of the Malay Peninsula, Malacca and the Malacca Strait being the focus, with Indo-china orientated with true North to the right. First appearing in the 1598 edition of Langenes Caert-Thresoor, and later re-published in by Bertius.
ca.1600 13 by 10 cm. 380 USD.
Publication Dimensions Price
Singapore named Cincapura, the year 1630 Important early map of Southeast Asia and the Philippines as well as a landmark map in the mapping of Australia, first published by Jan Jansson in 1630.
2400 USD.
Price
1630
Year
50 by 40 cm.
Size
The detail on this map is excellent for the period. The map is perhaps most important as the only Dutch printed map showing the 1606 discoveries of Willem Jansz, who in the Duyfken, is attributed as making the first recorded European discovery in Australia on Cape York Peninsula.
Singapore named "Singacapura", the year 1607
480 USD.
Price
20 by 15 cm.
Size
Southeast Asia map with a decorative title cartouche and a large wind compass. A note to the right describes the Spice Islands, the "Islas de Ladrones" are prominent above it, and the southern coast of Java is left unfinished. Singapore is shown separated from the mainland by an imaginary “river”.
Singapore name “Cincapura”, the year ca.1596 This map of Asia by the famous Gerard Mercator gives a great view of how Europe looked at the continent of Asia 450 years ago. The coasts of Northeast Asia and Northwest North America are separated by the fabled Strait of Anian. South of this strait, a beautifully engraved galleon gives speculation to the possibility of a northern route to Asia. Sumatra has a curiously archaic outline, while the relationship between New Guinea and Terra Australis is left to the viewer's imagination. The place-name "Beach" is taken from Marco Polo's account but erroneously ascribed to locations in the vicinity of present-day Australia.
Publication Dimensions Price
Amsterdam, ca.1596 55 by 45 cm. SOLD
Find more maps on www.IndiesGallery.com
The Story Continues Sometime in the late 1600s, another evolution of the word “Singapore” becomes apparent on maps. From the generalized “Bar Xingapura” to “Cape Cincapula”, maps now start identifying Singapore as a strait connecting the Straits of Malacca on the west to the Karimata Strait on the east (which leads to the South China Sea).
Let’s look at some maps that illustrate this.
The first, and possibly most important, is this hand-drawn map from a collection at the University of Leiden dating sometime from 1675-1700. To the right side of the map, we see a black mountain which on the previous series of maps was named Cape Singapore. Slightly southwest of the cape we see, written in red, the Dutch words “Straat Sincapura” or “Singapore Strait”. If your eye travels to the left you will see many very small islands. Above these is a green line, above which are the words “T Lang Eyl.t” which translate to “Long Island”. This area has been identified by cartographers as Singapore island, perhaps the first clear depiction of the island on a map. Clearly, while the straits are called the “Singapore Straits”, the
island is called “Long Island.”
Singapore name “Cincapura”, the year ca.1596 This map of Asia by the famous Gerard Mercator gives a great view of how Europe looked at the continent of Asia 450 years ago. The coasts of Northeast Asia and Northwest North America are separated by the fabled Strait of Anian. South of this strait, a beautifully engraved galleon gives speculation to the possibility of a northern route to Asia. Sumatra has a curiously archaic outline, while the relationship between New Guinea and Terra Australis is left to the viewer's imagination. The place-name "Beach" is taken from Marco Polo's account but erroneously ascribed to locations in the vicinity of present-day Australia.
Publication Dimensions Price
Amsterdam, ca.1596 55 by 45 cm. SOLD
Find more maps on www.IndiesGallery.com
The Singapore Straits now begin appearing on more maps. This beautiful map by Pieter van der Aa from 1706 names the “Naauw van Cincapura” but does not show Singapore island. (While Van der AA is best known for his maps and atlases, he began his career by pirating and printing foreign and illustrated books.)
Singapore named "Singacapura", the year 1607
480 USD.
Price
20 by 15 cm.
Size
Southeast Asia map with a decorative title cartouche and a large wind compass. A note to the right describes the Spice Islands, the "Islas de Ladrones" are prominent above it, and the southern coast of Java is left unfinished. Singapore is shown separated from the mainland by an imaginary “river”.
Jacques Nicolas Bellin was a French hydrographer and geographer and his maps are some of the most detailed and accurately rendered of the time. This map of the area dates to 1755. We can now see Singapore island very clearly identified with the modern named islands of Ubin and Tekong appearing to the north. Between Singapore island and Ubin (called on this map “Salat Buro”) we see written “Vieux Detroits de Sincapour” (Old Strait of Singapore) and just below Singapore island we see “Nouveau Detroit de Sincapour” (New Strait of Singapore). Singapore island itself is named “Pulo ou Isle Panjang”
(“Long Island”).
Pulo ou Isle Panjang on Singapore Navigational Chart Early sea chart of the Strait of Malacca showing the southern part of Malaysia, the island of Singapore and the eastern part of Sumatra, created by the greatest French hydrographer of the eighteenth century, Jacques-Nicolas Bellin. The chart contains several illustrated profile views of land as seen from the straits. These views are centred at the top of the chart, providing important context for original viewers and adding to the chart’s visual interest today. The illustrations are notated with their place names and navigation directions from known landmarks, making their locations easily traceable on the chart.
Title: Carte Reduite Des Detroits De Malaca, Sincapour, Et Gouverneur . . Publication Dimensions Price
Paris, 1755 89 by 58 cm. SOLD
Find more Singapore maps on www.IndiesGallery.com
Straits of Singapore on Southeast Asia “Test State” Map An extremely rare and unique collector's map of Southeast Asia, published around the year 1730 in England. It is the first large scale map of the region published in England and one of the most decorative maps of the region from the 18th century. The uniqueness and rarity of this map is that this is a so-called “test state” map. Test states, especially from highly collectable maps as these, are extremely rare and many collectors wait a lifetime to find
18,700 USD.
Price
ca.1730
Year
101 by 62 cm.
Size
these.
Straits of Singapore on Southeast Asia “Test State” Map An extremely rare and unique collector's map of Southeast Asia, published around the year 1730 in England. It is the first large scale map of the region published in England and one of the most decorative maps of the region from the 18th century. The uniqueness and rarity of this map is that this is a so-called “test state” map. Test states, especially from highly collectable maps as these,
18,700 USD.
Price
ca.1730
Year
101 by 62 cm.
Size
are extremely rare and many collectors wait a lifetime to find these.
Singapore, Malaysia, and Sumatra A historically important map of Southeast Asia, issued just prior to the Siamese Revolution of 1688, which henceforth restricted European activities in the kingdom. The map extends from the southern part of the Indochinese Peninsula through Malaya, to the northern coastline of Java and the eastern part of Borneo. The adornment of the map with a large elephant, making up the title cartouche, makes this map a favourite among collectors. Title: Royaume De Siam, avec Les Royaumes qui luy sont-Tributaries…
Paris, 1687 62 by 47 cm 84 by 67 cm. 12,800 USD.
Publication Dimensions Framed size Price
The Straits of Singapore - English Sea Chart From the “Geographer to King George II” Dated and printed in the year 1787 by Thomas Jeffrys “Geographer to King George II”, the map features depth soundings and ocean hazards to aid sailors in their journey. The shallow waters of the Straits made it dangerous for large ships to sail without navigational aids. At the time that this map was published, Singapore had yet to become a British possession. This chart is of utmost rarity, and one of the most collectable charts of the
Upon Request
Price
1787
Year
382 by 460 mm.
Size
Singapore region still to exist.
So, clearly, as late as 1755, Singapore island was still being called Long Island while the waterways around it were called the Singapore Straits. Sometime by 1794 had Singapore Island had finally adopted the name of its neighbouring waterway? In this map, named “The Straits Of Sincapore With Those Of Durion, Sabon, and Mandol” by Thomas Jeffers, Geographer to the King, we read the words “The Old Straits” and then the word “Sincapore” on the island. But is this word referring now to the name of the island, or is it merely the continuation of the phrase “The Old Straits…”? In fact, as late as 1803 British maps were still naming Singapore Island “Pulo Panjang” (Long Island). The island appears to have been clearly named “Sincapour” for possibly the first time in 1823
and spelled “Singapore” three years later.
By 1828, the date of this “Plan Of The British Settlement Of Singapore and Town plan of Singapore”, the Island had finally won its final name.
A rare and detailed miniature map of
Singapore Island.
End Words, In the 300 hundred plus years from 1502 to 1826, maps and charts of the region variously referred to Barmingapara, Barxingapara, Samgapura, Cape Cincapula, Long Island, Pulo Panjang and finally Sincapour/Singapore. Maps were not the only source of confusion. Zedler’s Universal Lexicon, first published in 1731 and purporting to be the Wikipedia of its time, has five distinct entries for Singapore, identifying it as a strait, a cape, an island and a city, with the city being located in numerous places throughout the region. Which leads one to finally ask, if not named after Lion City, what was Singapore named after? Alas, we will never know. But here’s another hypothesis. Instead of thinking of “Singha Pura” (Lion City), think of “Sin Gapura”. Sin (or Xin or Cin) is the prefix for China (today we have the words Sinophile and Sinologist, for example). Gapura is the Javanese word for “Gateway”. So “Singapura” can be seen to mean “The Gateway to China”. This makes sense when one imagines a sea captain travelling down the Malaccan Straits, being in the same body of water until he reaches Singapore and enters into the beginnings of the South China Sea, where everything, the tides and the currents, are different. Thence, our Captain would sail onto China, having
navigated the Straits and the Gateway to China, Singapura.
Singapore Sea Chart Best early nautical chart of Singapore. An extremely rare nautical chart or "maritime map" of the Strait of Singapore and the southern part of the Malacca Strait. Made for the British East India Company, this is one of the first charts to accurately map these heavily trafficked but treacherous straits. This chart was compiled by James Horsburgh. It was engraved on behalf of the British Admiralty Office in 1857 and is extremely scarce and desirable for those interested in the early mapping of Singapore. This chart is considered to be James Horsburgh's most desirable
chart and is very suitable for framing.
Singapore Nautical Chart An extremely rare nautical chart of Singapore, issued by Urban Dortet de Tessan, under the patronage of Louis Philippe I of France. This chart stands at the forefront of scientific mapping of the region. When Singapore was founded in 1819 the seas around the colony were only tentatively mapped. The Malacca straits, which had long been a major artery of trade, had been mapped, but within proximity of Singapore island, most early mappings fell apart. This chart follows on the work of Horsburgh, supplemented by new surveys initiated by the Admiralty in 1840. Additionally, it also drawn on Dutch surveys produced under the direction of M. Van Der Plaat, who surveyed the islands just south of Singapore, in the same year. The consolidation under Tessan represents a considerable
advancement over both previous charts.
Singapore Nautical Chart An exceptionally rare nautical chart of Singapore issued under the patronage of Louis Philippe I of France. Published in the year 1846 by Urban Dortet de Tessan Tessan's map covers from the southern tip of the Malay peninsula to the coast of Sumatra and from (roughly) Panjore to Tanjong Bon and eastward as far as the Kepulauan Riau and Riau Islands. It details the Bantam Islands, including Batnam, Pulau Bulan, and Pulau Brintan. The focus of the map is the newly surveyed maritime routes south of Singapore, via the straits of Durian and Rhio (Riouw), towards the Dutch trading centers in Jakarta and the Pepper Ports of Sumatra. While inland detail is limited, the street structure of Singapore City is evident, as are some notable inland features, such
as mountains and volcanoes. Profile charts appear in the lower-left quadrant.