Lord of Malacca

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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.

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Photos

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 by Sir Stamford Raffles in 1808 saved what remains of A' Famosa.

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 found in the ancient Sejarah Melayu (Malay Annals). This wooden replica of the Sultan's palace houses the Malacca Cultural Museum.

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 oldest Dutch building in the East, the port-red theme extends to the other buildings around the Town Square and the old clock tower. Preserved in its original structure and form, it now houses the History and Ethnography Museum.

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 found in the ancient Sejarah Melayu (Malay Annals). This wooden replica of the Sultan's palace houses the Malacca Cultural Museum.

Jalan Hang Jebat (Jonker Street), Melaka
The street is lined with antique shops.

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 The Hill'.

Comments

[janaine]

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i went here before