 Lord of Malacca |
AfricaAntarcticaAsiaCentral America CaribbeanEuropeMiddle EastNorth AmericaOceaniaSouth AmericaOceans and Seas
A' Famosa, Melaka
An iconic image of Melaka. Built by the Portuguese in 1511 as a fortress it sustained severe structural damage during the Dutch Invasion. The British destroyed most of the fort but the intervention ... [more]
Whoever is Lord in Malacca has his hand on the throat of Venice.
(Duarte Barbosa, 16th century writer and trader).
This will be a short blog. I stopped off in Melaka on my way back from the Philippines (see my last blog). I flew back to KL from Manila, then made my way by bus down to Melaka.
Melaka is Malaysia's oldest city and was the capital of the Sultanate of Malacca before the Portuguese invasion. It was a major port along the spice route. But in modern Melaka it is the Chinese influence that is the most noticeable.
Over the centuries, the Chinese and local Malay cultures in Malacca have mixed, producing a completely unique society, the Baba-Nyona. This culture reached its height around the turn of the 20th century.
After my short stay in Melaka I returned to KL to fly out to the island of Borneo. Borneo is shared between 3 countries - Malaysia, Brunei and Indonesia. I am currently uploading this blog in the city of Miri, in Sarawak which is a semi-autonomous province of Malaysia.
Istana (Sultanate Palace), Melaka
The Malacca Sultanate Palace is an exquisite piece of Malay architecture and is a replica of the original 15th century palace of Malacca's extinct Sultanate. The palace is built based on sketches foun... [more]
The Stadthuys, Melaka
The Stadthuys was built in 1650 as the official residence of Dutch Governors and Deputy Governors, it is an example of Dutch architecture, with solid doors and louvred windows. Believed to be the olde... [more]
Istana (Sultanate Palace) Cultural Museum, Melaka.
This is a depiction of the final duel between Hang Jebat and Hang Tueh.
Istana (Sultanate Palace) Cultural Musuem, Melaka.
A recreation within the museum of an audience with the Sultan.
Istana (Sultanate Palace), Melaka
The Malacca Sultanate Palace is an exquisite piece of Malay architecture and is a replica of the original 15th century palace of Malacca's extinct Sultanate. The palace is built based on sketches foun... [more]
St Paul's Church, Melaka
St Pauls Church was built by a Portuguese Captain Duarte Coelho. Later the chapel was turned by the Dutch into a burial ground and renamed 'St. Paul's Church' from the the Portuguese's 'Our Lady Of Th... [more]
Part of trip: Asia
1 Comment - Add Public Comment or Send Private Message
February 14th 2007 - py: home sick
After seeing your pictures, i felt so proud of Melaka, my hometown. Now, i am homesick and just want to fly home. Have a good time travelling!!
All Comments
Malaysia's Flag
Map of Malaysia
Copyright notice.
The text and photos of this article remain the copyright of the Author (Stuart Morgan Hurlbut). Under no circumstances should the photos or text be used without the express written permission of the Author (Stuart Morgan Hurlbut). If you wish to use or publish photos or text from this article - please
Contact Stuart Morgan Hurlbut.