THE midday sun beats unrelentingly down on the relatively sleepy quarter of Kampong Glam, a composite village that is a far cry from the steel-and-glass skyscrapers that have come to define modern Singapore.

A group of us have embarked on a tour of the area with Helena from tour agency Journeys, and are navigating the narrow lanes — "They were built for bullock carts, not cars," says Helena — between quiet shophouses, as we head for the heart of the much talked about enclave.

Kampong Glam (pronounced "glum") derives its name from the gelam trees that once grew abundantly there, and owes its development to Sir Stamford Raffles — the British governor who established a treaty between the British East India Company, Temenggong Abdul Rahman and Sultan Hussein Shah in 1819, to set the area up as a trading post.

The neighbourhood was already a stopover for Muslim pilgrims en route to Mecca to perform the Haj, and the central role Singapore played in the early spice trade saw many traders settling down there. Weather-beaten men would yell into hailers, announcing the arrival of boats carrying wares or ferrying pilgrims, relates Helena, and the scene imagined is one of comfortable chaos and activity.

The harmonious mingling of diverse communities cultivated a (literally) colourful precinct, with traders peddling exotic textiles, gemstones and spices alongside the services of craftsmen, publishers, coppersmiths and blacksmiths.

The cuisine, music, arts and language of each community stirred together, reflected in the architecture and vernacular street names, and gave Kampong Glam a reputation as a melting pot of cultures.

Bordered by Victoria Street, Ophir Road and Beach Road, the enclave boasts among the oldest shophouses in the country, with some lots dating back to the 1840s. Restored and painted in cheery hues, they warmly welcome the wandering resident or curious visitor, seeking to understand its hype.

"One word to describe the people here is 'attitude' — everyone here has plenty of that to spare," says Helena, only half-jokingly. The neighbourhood changes from morning to night, morphing from a charming showcase of traditional trade, to a trendy alternative destination for those tired of the noise at Clark Quay.

By day, the network that comprises Haji Lane, Arab Street, Bussorah Street, Baghdad Street and Muscat Street is a nucleus of unhurried shopping and dining. Fabric shops compete for eyes and wallets, touting saris, silks and exquisite Persian carpets, while perfumers speak lyrically of aromatics and essential oils.

The air is somewhat bohemian, the pace leisurely. Helena tells us of homeowners operating businesses from their porches, pushing homemade kuih to tourists traversing the pedestrian walkways, to dawdle over trinkets and souvenirs.

There is a restaurant or café to satiate any palate, with options ranging from Egyptian and Russian, to flavourful chicken murtabak at Zam Zam Restaurant. There is plenty to photograph and browse through, and this compact pocket is a choice destination to pass the day.

Come dusk, however, the mood turns sultry — the lingering aromas of food served throughout the day, mingles with the heady perfume of shisha, as sidewalks are strewn with carpets for patrons to sit down and enjoy their hookahs. There is a slight feeling of the forbidden here at this twilight hour, that makes this immersive setting all the more delicious. The younger crowd, especially, basks in this atmosphere.

Kampong Glam is acknowledged as the traditional Muslim heart of Singapore, its most famous landmark being the resplendent Sultan Mosque on Muscat Street. Namesake Sultan Hussein Shah had the original mosque constructed in the 1820s, but it was pulled down when it fell into disrepair, almost a century later.

The magnificent house of worship that stands today was built on a much larger scale, to cater for the burgeoning Muslim community in the area, and is unique for its unusual "crooked" configuration, aligned with Mecca, instead of the urban zoning grid: North Bridge Road, which was being extended at the time, was forced to bend to accommodate its off-centre perimeter.

Helena tells us the moving story behind an unusual band below the triumphant gold dome. Dennis Santry, the British architect heading the project, noticed that some of the funds donated by the community towards the new building came from the poor residents who recycled kicap bottles to raise the money.

In designing the Saracenic-style mosque, he paid them high tribute by constructing this band from the bottom of those glass bottles, to signify that it belonged to all the people — it was "everyone's" mosque. That same spirit prevails and visitors are welcome to explore parts of the lovely mosque, with shawls provided for those who require them.

A short walk away, along Sultan Gate, is the former Kampong Glam Palace that Sultan Hussein occupied for a short period, before he left for Malaysia. The government had refurbished the palace and its compounds in early 2000, and it was reopened as the Malay Heritage Centre in 2005.

The history of the Malay royalty in Singapore can be read here, while in its gardens still grow the spices the British came to Southeast Asia for — cinnamon, cloves and nutmeg, among others.

Rich and very much alive, Kampong Glam is layered with the heritage and cultures of the communities that have settled in Singapore, all equally represented in the sights, sounds and smells that carry down this intimate enclave.

Forget for a little while, the contemporary systems, and hustle and bustle for which The Lion City is known; the soul of Singapore is here. As Helena says, "The history of Kampong Glam is the history of Singapore."