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Melaka (Malacca) - Malaysia
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Where it all began ..... No historian has been able up to now to pin-point the year Malacca was founded. Going by the State government's celebration of the 600th anniversary of the founding in August 1990, it could be deduced that Malacca was founded in 1390. That s Sumatran prince, named parameswara, was credited with the founding of the city and naming it Melaka in not disputed. A popular account puts the Prince as out hunting one day and while resting under a tree, one of his dogs cornered a mouse-deer or 'pelandok'. The mouse-deer in its defence attacked the dog and even forced it into the river-water. Parameswara was so taken up by the courage of the mouse-deer that he decided on the spot to found a city on the ground he was sitting on. Thus, Melaka or Malacca was born. Many claimed that the prince took this name from the 'Melaka' tree that was shading him. As time went on, Melaka grew bigger and bigger and became more and more prosperous. Parameswara, incidentally, was the first Malay prince to become a Muslim and inevitably, Islam became the religion of Malays in the Peninsular (now West Malaysia). The prince known as Iskandar Shah died in 1424. During his rule, Melaka progressed into a booming international trading post, luring over Javanese, Indian, Arab and Chinese sea-merchants. Under Sultan Mansur Shah (1456 - 1477), Melaka's fame and wealth not long after caught the attention of the expansionist Europeans with the Portuguese becoming the first to arrive and eventually going on to conquer the land. They were led by Alfonso d'Albuquerque. The Portuguese occupiers stayed on far 130 years and their King benefited immensely from this. After the Dutch captured Melaka from the Portuguese in 1641, theycontinued to use Batavia, now Jakarta, as their head quarters. |
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As far as could be ascertained there are no less than three versions as where the State of Malacca derived its name. The least probable of the three was from Gaspar Correa made in the 16th century. He contended that Malacca (Melaka) was derived from Mulagas which was a kind of salted fish exported from the state. |
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Malacca is located on the West Coast of Peninsular Malaysia facing the Straits of Malacca, about 147 kilometres from Kuala Lumpur between the states of Negeri Sembilan and Johor. It covers an area of 1,638 sq. metres and is divided into three region namely Alor Gajah, Central Malacca and Jasin. If you are in West Malaysia, the best way to travel to Malacca is by road. Travelling down sourth via the North-South Highway from the KLIA (Kuala Lumpur International Airport) takes only a mere 90 minutes. If you are travelling from K.L., the journey is about 2 hours. From Johor Bahru heading north, it's only 2 1/2 hours away. You will also get to enjoy the greeneries of oil palm plantation and some evergreen tropical landscape along the North-South Expressway. There are many public rest areas, stop-overs, petrol kiosks and strategic view points along the highway so the journey will be quite pleasant if one needs to have a rest from the long distance driving.
Toll Gate Ex its From the North (from Kuala Lumpur) : (Last 2 toll gate exits) From the South (from Johor Bahru) : (Last 2 toll gate exits) |
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| Malacca Travel Destination Introduction | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Description: Another must do in Melaka ! Visit the oldest protestant church in M'sia , right at the Dutch Square Just around the corner, not too far from the fountain in Dutch Square is probably the oldest protestant church in Malaysia. This is a church was built sometime in 1753 by the Dutch and it is as much a Melakan icon as the fountain and the clock tower. If you do venture inside, look out for the beams with no joints, the hand-made pews dated some 200 years and the tiled artwork of the 'Last Supper' at the altar . Look out too, for the tombstones incorporated into the floor of the church, most of which are written in Portuguese. |
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Description:
Other than the Protestant Christ Church in Melaka, there lies another ancient church on top a hill. Built by the Portuguese in 1521, the church later fell into disrepair when it became a fort under the Dutch and a storage area under the British. Though it lies there as an empty shell now, the ruins of St Paul's is still worth taking a look due to the beautiful hill scenary and the ancient funenary stone slabs. As I mentioned, the church of St Paul's is just a shell and used for other purposes other than worship. Busking is one such activity. Note the ancient funenary slabs beside the busker. Most of it is written in Dutch. |
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Description:
As I mentioned, the ruins of St Paul's Church is nothing more than a shell now. But when when it was built in 1521, it was a gathering point for the Catholic Portuguese parishioners who settled in Melaka. Interestingly, it was built by a Portuguese Sea Captain, Duarte Coelho, in gratitude to the Virgin Mary for saving his life in the South China Sea. So logically speaking, after the church was built it was called "The Lady of the Hill" . It was only called St Paul's after the Dutch siege in the 1600s. Another point of interest over here is the wire-mashed area that used to house the remains of St Francis Xavier. The body ( still incorruptible after hundreds of years ) is in Goa, India today. Click here to read the story of the saint. |
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Description:
Besides the ruined church on the hill, those Portuguese masters also left behind a solid fort gate at the base of the hill in Melaka. Now, you may know this famous symbol of Melaka as A' Farmosa but that is as far removed from the truth as Melaka is from Timbuktu. The gate is called Porta de Santiago. Though nothing more that a ruin with a modern cannon, it's still worth taking a look. You'll want to see this after listening to this interesting story that connects the fort with the founder of modern Singapore, Sir Stamford Raffles! In 1808, Porta de Santiago was nearly lost forever to history as orders were given by the British Governor of Pahang to demolish it, along with the fortress at the mouth of the river. Unfortunately for the locals ( and luckily for us ), their spades, picks and crowbars were useless against a fortress which reportedly had walls fifteen feet thick! But before they could use gunpowder, Stamford Raffles stepped in and saved what tourists can see today! Thanks to him, we can see the grand construction of the fort and the Dutch logo that the sods imprinted on the Portuguese fort after seizing control. Click here to see the Dutch logo. Address: Jalan Kota, Melaka |
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Fondest Memory:
Shophouses in the Millionaires' Street are always worth a second look. You'll see the family name imprinted on the lantern and on the front doors. |
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