Located in the eastern part of Singapore, the area known as Geylang is identifiable from the time of Singapore’s early history. It appears as a river, called ‘R. Gilang’ in the 1828 map of Singapore drawn up by surveyor Lieutenant Philip Jackson. Some believed that the word ‘Geylang’ was derived from the Malay word ‘kilang’, which means press, mill or factory. This was probably a reference to the coconut plantations that used to be found in the area and the presses for making coconut oil. Others contend that Geylang was named after the indigenous ‘orang gallang’ tribe
