Melaka travel guide
Melaka (Malacca) was built on the trading empires of spices and textiles and a history enveloped in the blood of battles as rival colonial powers challenged each other to take hold of the port. In its glorious 15th-century heyday, it was the most vital port in Southeast Asia, with as many as 2,000 ships docked here at any one time. Today, even as high-rises make their presence felt, the colonial past remains in the architecture and monuments. In 2008, UNESCO inscribed Melaka, together with George Town in Malaysia’s northern state of Penang, as Historic Cities of the Strait of Malacca.
Historical Melaka
In the late 1300s, Melaka was a small settlement of sea gypsies, scraping a living as fishermen and farmers. Then a Malay prince, Parameswara, arrived fleeing from his own invaded domain of Palembang, Sumatra, and established his new capital here. By the end of the 15th century, Melaka had become the centre of a great trading empire and held an undisputed claim over the southern Malay Peninsula, as well as east Sumatra opposite. From every seafaring nation they came – Persians, Arabs, Tamils and Bengalis from the west; Javanese, Sundanese and Sulus from the archipelago; Chinese, Thais, Burmese and Khmers – in search of profit through trade, piracy or plunder.
The West decided to assume control of the hub of this lucrative trading operation, and Melaka’s golden age ended when it fell in 1511 to the Portuguese. The port was theirs for 130 years, before they were ousted by the Dutch. After 154 years, the Dutch in turn ceded Melaka to the British in 1824. Each in turn left something of their culture behind.
Small colonies of Chinese and Indian merchants and the Portuguese, Dutch and British stayed behind to found the Peranakan (Straits-born) communities, which have become the most striking and colourful fraternities in Malaysia today. These pioneers married local women and accepted the practical realities of living in a Malay community, but upheld the social and religious norms of their forefathers. The Baba men and Nyonya women are descendants of the Chinese pioneers from Fujian, while the Melaka Chitty are descendants of the Indian traders of South India. The Portuguese-Eurasians, however, are the most complex, being descendants of Portuguese, Dutch, British and local roots
World Heritage Site
The Unesco World Heritage Site is divided into two core zones – the St Paul’s Hill Civic Zone situated east of the Melaka river and, on the west bank, a maze of ancient and narrow streets that make up the residential and commercial zones. The A' Famosa fortress offers a reminder of the city's great port history. Melaka's unique cultural heritage can also be glimpsed at the Baba Nyonya Heritage Museum and Chitty Village, as well as the Portuguese Settlement.
Places to visit in Melaka
St Paul’s Hill Civic Zone
The most prominent building overlooking the Dutch Square is the Stadthuys (Town Hall), dating from around 1650. It was originally the official residence of Dutch governors and their officers. Christ Church, with an imposing red exterior, was built between 1741 and 1753, in commemoration of the centenary of the Dutch occupation, with later additions made by the British in the 19th century. Each of the long ceiling beams of the interior is hewn from one tree. In the middle of the square is the Queen Victoria Diamond Jubilee Fountain. Behind the Stadthuys, a path leads to the remains of St Paul’s Church, built by a Portuguese captain, Duarte Coelho, as a chapel in 1521. Originally known as the Church of Our Lady of the Annunciation, it was renamed by the Dutch, who captured Melaka in 1641, and fell into disuse when Christ Church was built. In front of the church tower is a statue of St Francis Xavier, the Spanish Jesuit missionary who visited Melaka several times from 1545 until his death in 1553.
A' Famosa
The Porta de Santiago (Santiago Gate) on Jalan Kota is all that remains of the 16th-century Portuguese fort, the A’ Famosa. Sir Stamford Raffles, then a government secretary in Penang, saved it from total destruction. The date, 1670, and coat of arms were added to the gateway by the Dutch East India Company. Subsequent development of the area unearthed the foundations of the fortress. Nearby, at the edge of the shopping mall, is the foundation of the Santiago Bastion, one of the fortress’ six original bastions during the Portuguese era.
The living history of Melaka is to be found among the descendants of the original pioneers and entrepreneurs who married local Malay women. One of the Baba Nyonya families converted three houses on Jalan Tun Tan Cheng Lock (formerly Heeren Street) into the Baba Nyonya Heritage Museum and a café with a guesthouse on the upper floors. Built in 1896 by rubber planter Chan Cheng Siew, the first two houses offer a vivid insight into the life and culture of the Baba Nyonya. In a style best described as Chinese Palladian, with its neoclassical columns and heavy hardwood doors, the furnishings and decor bear witness to the great prosperity of Baba entrepreneurs.
The Chitty Village
The Muzium Chetti is next door to the Chitty Village on Jalan Gajah Berang. This one-room museum offers a historical overview of the Indian traders that first came to Melaka in the 1400s. They later married the local women, and, like the Baba Nyonya community, adopted certain cultural aspects of the Malays – in cuisine, dress and language.
The Portuguese Settlement
A short drive some 3km (2 miles) south of the town centre along Jalan Parameswara takes you to the heart of this little Eurasian community, peopled by descendants of the Portuguese colonists who married the local women. In the area around Jalan d’Albuquerque and Medan Portugis (Portuguese Square), you may hear snatches of Cristao, a 16th-century Portuguese dialect. The restaurants on and off the square serve good seafood. The community worships at the simple, unassuming St Peter’s Church, 3km (2 miles) northwest from here on Jalan Bendahara, where Easter is an especially big event and attracts other ethnic groups to the great, candlelit procession.
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