Thian Hock Keng temple is one of the oldest Chinese temples and most important Hokkien temple in Singapore. It was completed in 1842 and was where seamen went to give thanks to the deity Ma Zu (Goddess of the Sea) for their safe journey upon their arrival in Singapore. The temple was built in traditional southern Chinese architectural style and without a single nail. In 2001, it won the UNESCO Asia-Pacific Heritage Awards for Culture Heritage Conservation Building. As the location of the temple was once the seashore, and the first place merchants set foot on land, many temples were built along this stretch. Walk along the road and you will find a Muslim mosque, Indian-Muslim shrine as well as another 2 Chinese temples, one of them converted into a museum.