Dhoby Ghaut (GPS: 1.2985, 103.84595) is an urban neighbourhood or subzone within the Central Business District of Singapore. It is located west of the Civic District, within the Museum Planning Area, and is today marked by the Dhoby Ghaut MRT Station. It also marks the eastern end of Orchard Road.
Dhoby Ghaut was named after the older Dhoby Ghaut of George Town, Penang, which in turn borrowed the name from the ghats in India.
The name comes from two Indian words, "dhobi" (धोबी in Hindi) referring to a caste group of Indians who maintained the laundry profession, and "ghat" (घाट), referring to a pier or stone steps leading down to the water edge. The water in question refers to Sungai Bras Basah, which was later canalised as Stamford Canal, and is today entirely covered and out of sight.
Today the dhobys and their laundry profession has entirely disappeared from the Dhoby Ghaut area in Singapore, although it is still being practised at the Dhoby Ghaut in Penang.
Places of interest in Dhoby Ghaut include Dhoby Ghaut Green and The Atrium @ Orchard.
Hello and thanks for reading this page. My name is Timothy and my hobby is in describing places so that I can share the information with the general public. My website has become the go to site for a lot of people including students, teachers, journalists, etc. whenever they seek information on places, particularly those in Malaysia and Singapore. I have been doing this since 5 January 2003, for over twenty years already. You can read about me at Discover Timothy. By now I have compiled information on thousands of places, mostly in Peninsular Malaysia and Singapore, and I continue to add more almost every day. My goal is to describe every street in every town in Malaysia and Singapore.