Lazarus Island
Lazarus Island, also known as Pulau Sekijang Pelepah, is one of the Southern Islands in Singapore. It is south of the main island of Singapore, off the Straits of Singapore and is uninhabited. It is connected by a causeway to Saint John's Island, which is reachable by ferry.
Etymology
Lazarus island was also known as Pulau Sekijang Pelepah (alternatively spelled as Pulau Sakijang Pelepah). Literally translated from Malay, 'sa', short for 'satu', means one, 'kijang' means deer, and 'pelepah' is a palm frond. Put together, it means 'Island of A Deer and Palms'. In 2006, Lazarus Island and Pulau Seringat were linked by a sand bank.
The island and nearby St Johns Island was originally a penal colony and a quarantine station initially for cholera, beri-beri then later for leprosy - a termed lazaretto - which may have been later changed to Lazarus. Lepers may also have been transferred to Lazarus Island (the connection being that the biblical character. (See Order of Saint Lazarus and Leper colony.)
References
- ^ Chen, Junhao; Chong, Kwek Yan; Yee, Alex T. K.; Tan, Hugh T.W. (2014). A Gazetteer of the Singapore Locality Names of the Collections of the Herbarium, Singapore Botanic Gardens (PDF). Singapore: Lee Kong Chian Natural History Museum, National University of Singapore. p. 15. ISBN 978-981-07-2589-1. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2017-01-28.
- ^ "Lazarus Island". The Digital Nature Archive of Singapore, Lee Kong Chian Natural History Museum. Retrieved 2016-03-08.