Historical City of Melaka

Historical City of Melaka

Melaka is among the third smallest Malaysian state. The state of Malacca is located in the southern region of the Malay Peninsula. The capital of the state is Malacca Town and the state is headed by the Governor or Yang di-Pertua Negeri. This historical city received the popular recognition of World Heritage Site by UNESCO in 2008.

Melaka History

Melaka was founded in 1400 by Parameswara, a young Hindu prince from Palembang. Parameswara fled from the Javanese enemy of his homeland. Under his reign, Melaka grew to be the famous port for trading between the East and the West. It was also the center of spice trade between the Malay and the Indonesian archipelagos. Indians, Arabs, China and Siam peoples, traded tea, cotton, silk, silver, porcelain, ivory, Persian carpets, brassware, perfumes, pearls, incense and opium, Parameswara was also the first Malay prince to embrace Islam; hence, Islam became the official religion of Melaka.
Some 60 years later, the wealth of the State caught attention of the Portuguese and the Dutch. In 1511, the Portuguese, under the command of Alfonso de Albuquerque, conquered Melaka.

In 1641, the Dutch took over Melaka from the Portuguese after a long and fierce battle. In 1795, Melaka was handed over to the British to avoid its capture by the French Revolutionary Armies. The British returned the city to the Dutch in 1808;however, the British soon took it back in trade for Bencoleen, Sumatra.
From 1826, the English East India Company in Calcutta ruled the city, although from 1942 to 1945 the city experienced Japanese occupation too.

After World War II, the anti-colonial sentiment resulted in the proclamation of Independence by Malaysia’s first Prime Minister.

Being one of the top 10 places to visit in Malaysia, Melaka or Malacca is one city you must not miss to go if you ever have the chance to visit Malaysia. At about 150 km south of Kuala Lumpur, Malacca is one of the 4 heritage sites of Malaysia inscribed by UNESCO. Featuring tremendous historical architectures and cultures inherited by the Portuguese, Dutch and British, Malacca is also a perfect destination for travel photography.
Spending a holiday in Malacca city centre is especially relaxing with a lot of fun. Most of the travel attractions in Malacca are concentrated in “Melaka Raya” or Malacca city centre. What you need to do is to grab a camera in your hand and start strolling down streets after streets in the city and fire photo shots after shots.

First tourist spot to visit in Malacca is the red architecture of Stadthuys Square. It was constructed by Dutch in 1650 as residence of Governor with the Christ Church next to it, and is now the “Museum of History and Ethnography”. It’s best to capture the colourful buildings and fountain with the morning sun shining towards it.

Melaka Culture

The city of Melaka is rich in heritage and culture from their daily lives to the historical landmarks. In front of every house in Melaka are the Malacca Steps.
Melaka is well-known for its food. Some of the traditional Malay dishes include ikan asam pedas, sambal belacan and cencaluk. Belacan, or shrimp paste, is a traditional ingredient used in many dishes, or eaten with rice.
The Nyon-Baba cuisine is also seen in Melaka, which is a mixture of Chinese, Portuguese, Dutch, Indian, British and Malay cooking. These dishes are generally spicy. The Devil’s Curry and the Portuguese egg tarts were added to the cuisine by the Portuguese.