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63 S ingapore currently has the honor of being the most expensive city in the world. With the city-state’s dazzling bright lights and almost ubiquitous sky- scrapers, it is easy to overlook some of the best neighborhoods in Singapore –– these are but two of the most interesting, both historically and culturally. Around ArAb Street And HAji LAne Singapore’s first Arab settlers came within a few months of the Brit- ish in 1819 and mostly settled in this area, a short walk from the his- toric center of town. Almost two centuries later, you can still find shops selling fabrics in a dizzying array of colors and prints, elaborate oriental carpets and rattan baskets. Robe-clad Arab men sit at the shop fronts smoking their pipes, and calls for prayer from the mosque regularly reverberate through the air. At night, the smell of smoke wafting from shisha pipes fills the narrow lanes. But in an area mainly consisting of two-story pre-WWII shophouses, the most imposing building is Sultan Mosque. A cream-colored building with brown trimmings, complete with minarets and topped off with a large gold dome, Sultan Mosque is the largest mosque in Singapore. The original structure was built in 1824 –– funded by the East India Company –– and as more Muslim settlers arrived in Singapore, a new and bigger mosque was completed in 1928. This is the structure that stands today. Curious sightseers are allowed to enter the main hall of this mosque (pro- vided they remove their shoes), which is a large open area with two rows of doors letting the sunlight in. Ornate chande- liers hang from the ceiling while the large fans whirl in their tranquil, mesmerizing way and Muslims sit on the red carpet in quiet prayer. This mosque, located with- in a labyrinth of small lanes in an area crammed with shops, feels like an oasis. A five-minute walk from the mosque is Haji Lane, a narrow, one-way street lined with small, independent shops selling the latest in street fashion –– this is where the fash- ion-forward come to find that quirky piece to set them apart. At night, a furniture shop along the lane selling mid-modern style furniture (A Thousand Tales, it’s called) transforms into Bar Stories. There is no menu: Each cocktail is customized to suit after the bartender deter- mines your preferences, and patrons sit on and among the various display pieces of furniture throughout the shop. It’s a perfect way to spend a balmy evening in this humming city. Robe-clad Arab men sit at the shop fronts smoking their pipes, and calls for prayer from the mosque regularly reverberate through the air. At night, the smell of smoke wafting from shisha pipes fills the narrow lanes.