National Treasures of Singapore


The national treasures of Singapore are artifacts deemed to have significant historical importance to the country of Singapore.

Definition of National Treasures in Singapore

Unlike countries such as South Korea or Japan, there is no central authority which maintains and awards a national treasure status for these artifacts. The National Museum of Singapore, being the custodian of most of these "treasures" and the National Heritage Board being the coordinating authority of history in Singapore have at different times, came up with different lists.

List of Artifacts

Below is a list of artifacts considered to be National Treasures by the National Museum of Singapore.
S/NNameDescriptionYearImage
1Singapore StoneThe Singapore Stone is a fragment of a large sandstone slab which originally stood at the mouth of the Singapore River, believed to date back to at least the 13th century and possibly as earlier.Unknown
2Portrait of Sir Frank Athelstane SwettenhamPortrait of the first Resident General of the Federated Malay States, by John Singer Sargent1904
3Last will and testament of Munshi AbdullahMunshi Abdullah is widely considered as the father of modern Malay literature and was scribe and copyist for Sir Stamford Raffles.1854Example
4Mace of the City of SingaporeChinese philanthropist Loke Wan Tho in conjunction with King George VI granting Singapore a Royal Charter in 19511951Example
5Daguerreotype view from Fort Canning HillBy French customs service officer Alphonse-Eugene Jules1844Example
6Gold armlets and rings from Fort CanningEast Javanese style, found at Fort Canning Hill1928
7Portrait of Sir Stamford RafflesPortrait of the founder of Singapore by noted painter Xu Beihong1939Example
8Natural history drawings of flora and faunaCollection of 477 drawings commissioned by William Farquhar19th century
9A wooden hearseUsed for the funeral of Chinese philanthropist Tan Jiak Kim1917Example
10Embroidered Chinese coffin coverOne of the largest of its kind in existence in SingaporeunknownExample
11A glove puppet stageBelonging to the Fujian puppet troupe, Xin Sai Le1930sExample