Alsagoff family

Al-Segaf'/As-Segaf'/Assegaf'/Assegaff'/Al-Saqqāf (Arabic: ٱلسَّقَّاف, romanized: as-Saqqāf; transliterated elsewhere al-Saqqaf, al-Saggaf or al-Saqqāf) were Arab Singaporean spice traders of Hadhrami origin, who became influential by marrying into a royal family from the Celebes (now Sulawesi, Indonesia). They acquired many properties, like the other Arab families, including the "Perseverance Estate" where they grew lemon grass. The estate is now considered to be the heart of the Muslim community in Singapore, with the Alsagoff family still retaining its prominence there. They originally belong to the Ba'Alawi clan of the Bani Hashim in Hadhramaut. Hence, they are a Ba'Alawi Sayyid family. Then-master-chef of the family, Mr. Abdul-Rahman established a restaurant named "Islamic" in 1921 in Singapore, which is functioning till date. As well as being successful merchants and land owners, the family became involved in civic affairs. The family members, at times, held civic office from the 1870s, until Singaporean independence in 1965.