The Istana

The Istana houses the offices of the President and Prime Minister and is a venue for state events and important official functions.

The Istana is also the office of the prime minister of Singapore and contains Sri Temasek, the official residence of the prime minister since Singapore's independence in 1965, though none of the prime ministers have ever lived there.

The 106 acres (0.43 km²) estate was once part of the extensive nutmeg plantation of Mount Sophia. In 1867, the British colonial government acquired the land and built a mansion to be the official home of the British governor. This continued until 1959 when Singapore was granted self-governance, and the governor was replaced by the Yang di-Pertuan Negara, who was in turn replaced by the president of Singapore.

The building continued to be used by governors of the newly created Crown Colony of Singapore. When Singapore attained self-rule in 1959, the building was handed over to the Government of Singapore. It was then renamed the Istana. Yusof Ishak was appointed the first local head of state, the Yang di-Pertuan Negara, and took up office at the Istana.

The building was extensively renovated between 1996 and 1998 to add more space and modern-day conveniences. The building today has six function rooms used for ceremonial and entertainment purposes. The offices of the President of Singapore and his staff are in the building.^{[citation needed]}

Since its first occupancy in 1869, the Istana has seen 21 terms of governorship (1869–1959), two terms of occupation by the Yang di-Pertuan Negara (1959–1965) and nine terms of presidential occupation (since 1965), not to mention the Japanese occupancy between 1942 and 1945.

The Istana is the official residence of the President of Singapore. However, no presidents nor cabinet ministers have lived there after the tenure of Devan Nair, the third President of Singapore. The villas, which are meant to be used for foreign heads of state, are used rarely. The Istana building and its grounds are open to the public on five selected statutory holidays – Chinese New Year, Deepavali, Hari Raya Puasa, Labour Day and National Day. Due to Hari Raya Puasa (Eid al Fitr) moving through the civil year as a Muslim lunar calendar date, the grounds of the Istana are sometimes open only once when two public holidays are near together. The grounds are also often used for state functions and ceremonial occasions such as swearings-in, investitures and the presentation of credentials by heads of foreign missions. The Prime Minister, Senior Minister and Minister Mentor have their offices in the Istana Annex.

On the first Sunday of the month, there is a Changing of the Guards parade, which is a popular public event.