Popular Historical Attraction

Malacca Most Popular Historical Attraction

(Malacca Most Attract Places Map)

• Fort A Famosa: Constructed by the Portuguese in 1511, it suffered severe structural damage during the Dutch invasion. The plan by the British to destroy it was aborted as a result of the intervention of Sir Stamford Raffles in 1808.
• St. John's Fort: Reconstructed by the Dutch in the third quarter of the 18th century, the cannons in this fort point inland because at that time, the threat to Malacca was mainly from inland rather than the sea.
• St. Peter's Church: Constructed in 1710 under the Dutch administration, the church is the oldest Catholic church in Malaysia. Its facade and decorative embellishment is a mix of both eastern and western architecture. Its bell was delivered from Goa in 1608.
• St. Paul's Church: Constructed by the Portuguese captain, Duarte Coelho, this church was named "Our Lady of The Hill", but was later turned into a burial ground by the Dutch for their noble dead, and renamed "St. Paul's Church". Currently the church is part of the Malaccan Museums Complex. The body of St. Francis Xavier was interred here temporarily before it was taken to Goa, India.
• Christ Church: Constructed in 1753, the structure reflects original Dutch architecture. The building houses hand-crafted church benches, jointless ceiling skylights, a copper replica of the Bible, a headstone written in the Armenian language, and a replica of "The Last Supper".
• Francis Xavier Church: This Gothic church was built by a French priest, Rev. Fabre, in 1849, to commemorate St. Francis Xavier who is also known as the "Apostle of the East". St. Francis Xavier is credited for his Catholic missionary work in Southeast Asia during the 16th century.
• Stadthuys: Constructed in 1650 as the residence of the Dutch Governor and his deputy, the structure reflects Dutch architecture. It is today the "Museum of History and Ethnography". The museum exhibits traditional wedding clothes and artifacts of Melaka, dating back to its days of glory.
• Cheng Hoon Teng Temple: Located along Jalan Tokong (formerly Temple Street) in the core zone of the Malacca Unesco World Heritage Site. It is the oldest functioning temple in Malaysia and grandest temple in Malacca.
• Jonker Street (Jalan Hang Jebat): This street is known for its antique goods.
• Portuguese Square: Located within the Portuguese Settlement, the square is the culmination of Portuguese culture in its full splendour and colours.
• Sri Poyyatha Vinayagar Moorthi Temple: This is the oldest Hindu Temple in Malaysia. It was built in 1781 on land given by the Dutch to the Chitty community.
• Tranquerah Mosque: The oldest mosque in Malacca.
• Kampung Kling Mosque: Kampung Kling Mosque is one of the oldest mosques in Malaysia. It was built around 1784 with the influence of Sumatran architecture. Firstly, there’s no Byzantium dome around. It was replaced by a tiered pyramidal roof. Secondly, just look at the minaret which is structured like a pagoda. There are even Chinese characters carved on the side roof of the mosque.

Malacca City

The Malacca City

Malacca City is the capital city of the Malaysian state of Malacca. The Seri Negeri, the State Administrative and Development Centre which houses the Chief Minister's Office, the State Secretary's Office and the Legislative Assembly Hall is located in Malacca City. It was listed aUNESCO World Heritage Site together with George Town of Penang on 7 July 2008.

(Malacca City)

Geography

The city of Malacca is located on both sides of the Malacca River near its mouth into the Strait of Malacca. The historic central area of the city is located near the old coastline, includes St Paul's Hill with the ruins of the Portuguese fortress, A Famosa and the Dutch Square on the right (eastern) bank of the river, and the old Chinatown on the left (western) bank. The modern city has grown in all directions from this historic core, including to the south (because the present coastline of the Strait of Malacca is somewhat further down to the south than its original location due to land reclamation). The "Chinese Hill" (Bukit Cina), where a large old Chinese cemetery is located, was formerly located to the northeast of the town, but now is surrounded by the city on all sides. Malacca river winding its way through the old town and the city centre

.

(Part of Malacca City. Malacca Island is the strip of land directly across the coast.)

Climate

Malacca is the driest city in Malaysia which receives just below 2,000 mm (79 in) of rainfall annually beside Sitiawan, Perak while mostly in Peninsular of Malaysia the average rainfall is around 2,500 mm (98 in) annually. However Malacca never has a dry season as average rainfall is more than 100 mm (3.9 in) for each month.

The highest precipitation (2010) = 1,955.4 mm (76.98 in)

The lowest precipitation (2011) = 1,846.8 mm (72.71 in)

The Demolition Of A Famosa

The British in Penang were temporary caretakers of the then Dutch-controlled Malacca during the Napoleonic Wars. However, they were reluctant to hand Malacca back because they feared it might jeopardize the development of their new settlement in Penang. Hence they decided to destroy the regional influence of Malacca by diverting trade away from Malacca to Penang, the British planned to destroy the Malacca Fort and its city and move the 15,000 people to Penang. It was envisaged that Malacca would not rival Penang in terms of trade when the Kew treaty of 1975 expires which orders the returning of Malacca back to Dutch hands if the city was demolished and depopulated.

The Governor of Penang ordered Captain William Farquhar to have the respective fort demolished in 1807. However during this time, Stamford Raffles who hails from Penang arrived in Malacca for his sick leave. He managed to rescind the demolition and depopulation process with the consent of Lord Minto, the Governor General of India. Raffles managed to save the archway of the Malacca Fort which can be seen to this day. The destruction of the Malacca Fort cost 70,000 sterling pounds and involved several hundred workers.

(A Famosa)

Malacca Tourism

Most tourist attractions are concentrated in its small city centre which encompasses Jonker Walk which houses Malacca's traditional Chinatown that exhibits Peranakan architecture. A Famosa Fort, St. Paul Hill are among the tourist attractions located in the Bandar Hilir, old city area. There are also numerous shopping centres located nearby. The Malacca Straits Mosque is located here. There are numerous islands which include Pulau Upehnear Klebang Beach (currently undergoing reclamation works) and Pulau Besar.

(Malacca Map Tuorism)

Malacca Transportation And Access

Currently Malacca City is accessible via highway, railway, or Federal route/coastal road. Malacca City is approximately 130 km from Kuala Lumpur and 200 km from Singapore. People who wish to go to Malacca by train should board the Singapore-bound train in Kuala Lumpur Sentral and alight at Tampin station, where shuttle buses to and from places such as Jonker Street, Melaka Sentral and AEON Bandaraya Melaka Shopping Centre are available.

It was reported recently that under the 10th Malaysia Plan (RMK10), KTM is planning to reconnect the railway line from Tampin to Malacca City then Batang Melaka. The station will probably be in Batu Berendam (near the airport) or Melaka Sentral. There was a railway line from Tampin to Malacca City before World War II but was dismantled by the Japanese troops to build the infamous Death Railway in Burma. The railway line was never re-built after the British returned.

(A KTMB(Keretapi Tanah Melayu Berhad) Intercity train stopping at a railway in Kuala Lipis,Pahang)

The History Of Malacca

The History Of Malacca

Malacca ("The Historic State") is the third smallest Malaysian States after Perlis and Penang. It is located in the southern region of the Malay Peninsula, next to the Straits of Malacca. It borders Negeri Sembilan to the north and Johor to the south. The capital is Malacca City, which is 148 km south east of Malaysia's capital city Kuala Lumpur, 235 km north west to Johor's largest city Johor Bahru, and 95 km north west to Johor's second largest city, Batu Pahat. This historical city centre has been listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 7 July 2008.

Although it was the location of one of the earliest Malay Sultanates, the monarchy was abolished when the Portuguese conquered it in 1511. The head of state is the Yang di-Pertua Agong or Governor, rather than a Sultan.

Sultanate of Malacca

(The Picture Of Sultanate Of Malacca)

Main article:Malacca Sultanate

Before the arrival of the first Sultan, Malacca was a fishing village inhabited by local Malays. Malacca was founded by Parameswara, also known as Iskandar Shah or Sri Majara, the last Raja of Singapura (present day Singapore) following a Majapahit attack in 1377. He found his way to Malacca around 1400 where he found a good port—it was accessible in all seasons and on the strategically located narrowest point of the Malacca Straits.

According to a popular legend, Parameswara was resting under a tree near a river during a hunt, when one of his dogs cornered a mouse deer. In self-defence, the mouse deer pushed the dog into the river. Impressed by the courage of the deer, and taking it as a propitious omen of the weak overcoming the powerful, Parameswara decided then and there to found an empire on that very spot. He named it 'Melaka' after the tree where he had just taken shelter at, the Malacca Tree (Pokok Melaka).

In collaboration with allies from the sea-people (orang laut), the wandering proto-Malay privateers of the Straits, he established Malacca as an international port by compelling passing ships to call there, and establishing fair and reliable facilities for warehousing and trade.

Because of its strategic location, Malacca was an important stopping point for Zheng He's fleet. To enhance relations, Hang Li Po, according to local folklore a daughter of the Ming Emperor of China, arrived in Malacca, accompanied by 500 attendants, to marry Sultan Manshur Shah who reigned from 1456 until 1477. Her attendants married locals and settled mostly in Bukit China (Bukit Cina).

"In the 9th month of the year 1481 envoys arrived with the Malacca again sent envoys to China in 1481 to inform the Chinese that, while Malaccan envoys were returning to Malacca from China in 1469, the Vietnamese attacked the Malaccans, killing some of them while castrating the young and enslaving them. The Malaccans reported that Vietnam was in control of Champa and also sought to conquer Malacca, but the Malaccans did not fight back, because they did not want to fight against another state that was a tributary to China without permission from the Chinese. They requested to confront the Vietnamese delegation to China which was in China at the time, but the Chinese informed them since the incident was years old, they could do nothing about it, and the Emperor sent a letter to the Vietnamese ruler reproaching him for the incident. The Chinese Emperor also ordered the Malaccans to raise soldiers and fight back with violent force if the Vietnamese attacked them again.

The Malacca Sultanate Palace

The Malacca Sultanate Palace

The Malcca Sultanate Palace (a replica of the Melaka Sultan's palace during the period of the Melaka Sultanate) is located at the foot of St Paul's Hill. The replica was built from information and data obtained from the Malay Annals. These historical documents had references to the construction and the architecture of palaces during the era of Sultan Mansur Syah, who ruled from 1456 to 1477.
The Malacca Sultanate Palace is built to preserve the achitecural style of the palaces of the Malacca Sultanate era and the various ceremonial and private

Objective

• To preserve the architectural style of the palaces of the Melaka Sultanate era and the various ceremonial and private chambers of the palace, such as the Balairong Seri (the Main Hall cum Throne Room) and the Royal Bedchamber. The palace also exhibits artifacts pertaining to the customs and traditions of various royal households that ruled Melaka.
• To preserve for posterity the period of the Melaka Sultanate which forms an integral part of the historical heritage of the Malay race.
• To record the legendary battle of Hang Tuah and Hang Jebat during the period of the Melaka Sultanate, and the lessons that battle holds for posterity.

Notes

The replica of the palace was built in 1984 and it became the Cultural Museum. The Cultural Museum was officially opened by the Prime Minister of Malaysia on 17th July 1986. The building is made of hardwood while the roof is made of 'belian' wood. An interesting feature of the building is that no nails were used in the construction of the building, only wooden pegs.

" The museum, also known as the Istana (Sultanate Palace), is a replica of Sultan Mansur Shah's palace, the famous Sultan who ruled Melaka from 1456 to 1477."


Muzium Kebudayaan (Cultural Museum) was inaugurated in March 1954 by the then Resident Commissioner of Melaka, G.E.C. Wisdom, C.M.G., in a Dutch house built around 1660. The museum was later moved to the Stadhuys in 1982 before it was finally moved into its own complex in the late 1980's.
The RM2.5 million museum was officially opened to the public on July 17, 1986 by Malaysia's Prime Minister Dato' Seri Dr Mahathir Mohamad.
Currently, the museum houses about 1,350 items in the form of artefacts, prints, photographs and drawings which represent the history and cultural heritage of the Malay Sultanate of Melaka and the various communities, which came to settle in Melaka during that period.
The three-storey building is divided into eight chambers and three galleries including chambers of the Royal band, weaponry, decorative arts, emissaries and gifts, a recreation hall, an audience hall and an Islamic hall.
The galleries depict the famous clash between the legendary warriors Hang Tuah and Hang Jebat, traditional costumes and the royal bedchamber. Exhibits include prints and photographs of the Melaka Sultanate, a model of the Sultan Mansur Shah Palace, Malay weapons, Malay traditional wedding dress, jewelleries and brassware.