Malacca was founded by Parameswara, a Hindu Prince
from the Kingdom of Srivijaya in Sumatra in the year 1403. After he embraced
Islam and became the Sultan of Malacca, Malacca became a trading centre with
goods from China, India, Middle East, Thailand and neighbouring countries
passing through the port of Malacca. Visiting Malaysia is not complete without
going to the historical state of Malacca.
As a result of Melaka's strategic location, the
Portuguese conquered it in 1511 followed by the Dutch in 1641 and finally by
the British in 1824. The Japanese was ruling it for a while during World War
Two from 1942 to 1945. Malacca gained independence as one of the states of
Malaysia on August 31, 1957
The english spelling for this state used to be
Malacca but has since been changed to Melaka. We will use these two terms here
and they mean the same thing.
Melaka together with Georgetown in Penang have been
inscripted as historical cities under Unesco's World Heritage Sites (WHS) in July
2008. The first area is the St. Paul's Hill Civic Zone which consists of the
government buildings, the original fortress town built during the time of
Portuguese and Dutch occupation, Bukit Cina, museums and churches.
The second area is the Historic Residential and
Commercial Zone which consists of more than 600 shophouses, religious
buildings, commercial and residential buildings as well as tombs on the four
main streets. Explore them..
Malacca Vacation Places of Attractions
Malacca vacation is not complete without visiting
the following attractions. See the historical heritage of Malacca where many of
the old buildings dated back to the 16th century still stand strong today. See
A Famosa, The Stadthuys and Christ Church all of which are within walking distance of one
another. Try taking the trishaw and make sure you take a good picture as you
ride as a memento for you to bring home. Not to be missed is the 45 minutes
cruise along Malacca River and the Maritime Museum.
Finally, try Nyonya Food which is a combination
of Chinese and Malay ingredients. Not to be forgotten is Portuguese cuisine at Restoran San
Pedro and Restoran De Lisbon.
Malacca vacation - A'Famosa
This landmark as shown in the picture above is a
must for all visitors to Malacca. Known also as Porta de Santiago, this
fortress was built by Portuguese Admiral Alfonso d'Albuquerque in the year
1511. A big part of it was destroyed during the Dutch invasion and what remains
today is just a small section of the fortress left behind by the Portuguese.
Malacca vacation is not complete without visiting this ruin.
The Stadthuys
The background was built in 1650 as residence of
Dutch governors and their officers
The Stadthuys is another major landmark left behind
by the Dutch. Used to be white in colour, this building was refurbished and
painted Salmon red colour to match the colour of the surrounding buildings.
When completed in 1650, it was used as official residence for Dutch governors
and their officers.
Malacca vacation - Melaka River Cruise
Your Malacca vacation is not complete without
taking a cruise down Malacca River. Costing only RM10 for adult and RM5 for
children, this 45 minutes tour will take you pass many Dutch style buildings.
Remember to take along your camera and take interesting pictures of the old
shop houses, bridges and Kampung Morten Malay village.
The
Malacca River and the surrounding area. The cruise will be on this river.
Malacca vacation - Maritime Museum
The Maritime Museum near the city centre is located
along Jalan Quayside. It housed a replica of the Flor de la Mar, a Portuguese
ship that sank off the coast of Malacca. The exhibit at this museum showed the
history of Malacca from the time of the Malacca Sultanate to the
pre-independence time of Malaysia. You will be able to see models of iron
chests, old charts, ships and maps.
The beautiful replica of Flor de la Mar Maritime
Museum located along Jalan Quayside.
Melaka Hotels
There are many international standards hotels in Malacca. Some of the popular
Malacca Hotels include The Bayview Hotel Melaka, Equatorial Hotel, Everly
Resort, Grand Continental Hotel, Legacy Hotel, Mahkota Hotel Melaka,
Renaissance Melaka Hotel and Seri Costa Hotel. The latest one is the Hatten
Hotel which is located on the shopping mall itself.
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