Malacca
Malacca
Like Penang to the north, Malacca is a fascinating mix of cultures and religions. At various times over the last 500 years the Chinese, Portuguese, Dutch and British have all settled in this city, and their influence is still felt today. Visitors to Malacca can explore this heritage at the same time they sample the vibrant culture of modern Malaysia.
Getting to Know Malacca
Geography
Malacca (in Malay, Melaka), the capital of the state of Malacca, is on the west coast of peninsular Malaysia across the Strait of Malacca from the Indonesian island of Sumatra. Covering just 1.3 percent of Malaysia's total area, the state is the second smallest in the country.
The Malacca River, once a major trade thoroughfare, winds through the city (flickr user Pia888)
Malacca is situated between Kuala Lumpur, the capital of Malaysia, and, to the south, the city-state of Singapore, and commands a central position on the Strait of Malacca. Its location was of huge significance to the Europeans vying for control of the lucrative spice trade.
History
Interestingly, no one knows exactly where the word "Malacca" comes from.
According to one 16th century account, the city was founded about 1400 by a ruler named Parameswara, who some claim was a descendant of Alexander the Great. More likely, he was a Hindu prince and political fugitive from nearby Java. The legend goes that Paramswara was hunting and stopped to refresh himself near what is now the Malacca River. Standing near a melaka (Indian gooseberry) tree he was surprised to witness one of his hunting dogs so startled by a mouse deer that it fell into the river. Parameswara took this as a propitious sign of the weak overcoming the powerful and decided to build the capital of his new kingdom where he stood, naming it for the tree under which he had been resting.
Another account says Malacca is derived from the Arabic word malakat, meaning market. Malacca had a navigable harbor, ample supply of fresh water, enjoyed a prime location relative to the shifting monsoon winds, and was at the center of regional trade networks, all of which soon made it a prosperous commercial town. Its fortunes increased with the official adoption of Islam in the 15th century. The Sultans of Malacca were soon attracting Arab traders, which explains the Arabic source of the name, as well as Chinese settlers and merchants of all races and religions.
During its prime Malacca was a powerful sultanate which extended its rule over the southern Malay Peninsula and much of Sumatra. Malacca was also central to the spread of Islam throughout Malaysia and Indonesia.
Row houses like these, built by Malacca's Chinese immigrants, are a distinctive part of the city's architectural heritage (flickr user bonbongirl)
The arrival of the Portuguese in 1511 put an end to the sultanate. To secure their conquest-from the sultan's forces and from other European powers--the Portuguese built a fort they called A Famosa, of which the gate is all that remains today.
Over time, Portuguese strength waned. In 1641 the Dutch navy put a blockade on Malacca and took the city after a six-month siege, destroying many of the Portuguese fortifications. The Dutch ruled Malacca from 1641 to 1824 (with a brief period of British rule during the Napoleonic Wars) but they were not interested in developing it as a trading center, placing greater importance on Batavia (Jakarta) in Indonesia.
An mistakeable reminder of the long Dutch presence in Malacca is this windmill
Malacca was ceded by the Dutch to the British in the Anglo-Dutch Treaty of 1824 in exchange for Bencoolen on Sumatra. From 1826 to 1946 Malacca was governed by the British East India Company and then as a crown colony. Along with Singapore and Penang, Malacca was one of the Straits Settlements. After the dissolution of this crown colony in 1946, Malacca and Penang became part of the Malayan Union, which later became Malaysia upon independence from Britain in 1957.
People
Of the state of Malacca's 759,000 people, a majority of residents are Malay, with Chinese Malaysians making up a third of the population. Malacca, like Penang, is a center of Peranakan culture, which evolved from a mix of Chinese and Malay influences.
There is also a small community of Kristang people, Eurasians of Portuguese descent who practice Christianity and continue to speak their unique creole, known as Cristão or Kristang.
In addition, Malacca is home to a sizeable Indian Malaysian population.
Things to See in Malacca
Malacca is a great city for walking, with a compact heritage area. In addition to the larger religious and colonial buildings left by the Europeans, there are many private houses and shops put up by Chinese traders over the last few hundred years, with beautiful details such as molded porcelain tiles and painted plaster reliefs on the front. Note that on Tuesdays, many museums, shops, restaurant are closed, especially in the Jonker Street area. If you have only one day to spend in Malacca, do not go on Tuesday!
Heritage Area
- Stadthuys (Statehouse) Building: Constructed in 1650 as the residence of the Dutch Governor and his deputy, the structure reflects Dutch architecture and is one of the oldest Dutch buildings in the east. Today it houses the Museum of History and Ethnography, which exhibits traditional wedding clothes and artifacts of Malacca dating back centuries, and the Museum of Literature.
- Christ Church was built between 1741 and 1753 and replaced a destroyed Portuguese church. Bricks for the church were shipped all the way from Zeeland in the Netherlands. Dutch tombstones are found on the floor of the church and sacramental silverware on the altar still bears the Dutch coat of arms. Christ Church is the oldest protestant church in Malaysia.
- Red Square is a beautiful square between Christ Church and the Stadhuys. On this square you'll also find the Tang Beng Swee Clock Tower, which looks Dutch but was actually built in 1886.
- Fort A Famosa: Constructed by the Portuguese in 1511, it suffered severe structural damage during the Dutch invasion. In 1808, the fort was barely saved from destruction by the British as a result of the intervention of Sir Stamford Raffles, founder of the British colony in Singapore.
- Francis Xavier Church: This Gothic-style church was commissioned by a French priest in 1849 to commemorate St. Francis Xavier, known as the "Apostle of the East" for his Catholic missionary work in Southeast Asia, China and Japan during the 16th century.
- St. Paul's Church: Constructed by the Portuguese in 1521, this church was named "Our Lady of The Hill," but was later turned into a burial ground by the Dutch for their dead and renamed St. Paul's Church. Although the church is now in ruins, you can still see the tombstones along the walls. The body of St. Francis Xavier was interred here in 1553 before it was taken to Goa, India.
- 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 are a mix of both eastern and western architecture, while its bell was made in Goa in 1608.
- Cheng Hoon Teng Temple: Built in 1645 by Kapitan Lee Wei King with building materials imported from China, Cheng Hoon Teng served as the main place of worship for the local Hokkien Chinese community and is the oldest Chinese temple in Malaysia. The main hall was added in 1704 and was rebuilt in 1801 by Kapitan China Chua Su Cheong, who made magnificent structural additions to the building.
- Jonker, Heeren and adjacent streets: This area is the residential heart of Old Malacca, just west of the Malacca River, with narrow winding streets, beautifully decorated houses, tiny shops, temples and mosques. Currently undergoing a renaissance with new shops, restaurants and hotels catering to tourists mushrooming everywhere, the area still has a lot of atmosphere and is worth exploring. One of the streets in this area is Harmony Street (officially Temple street or Jalan Tokong), so called because it contains the prayer houses of Malaysia's three main faiths--the Cheng Hoon Teng Chinese temple, the Sri Poyatha Vinayagar Moorthi Hindu Temple, and the Kampung Kling Mosque.
A touch of Holland in Asia: An early Dutch tombstone (flickr user yummiek00kies)
Many important sites in Malacca are clustered around Red Square: Christ Church, the Stadthuys (on the right) and the clocktower (flickr user kingofhiking)
The A Famosa gate, also known as Porta de Santiago, is a legacy of the first wave of Europeans in Malacca--the Portuguese (flickr user chee.hong)
Francis Xavier (1506-1552) made several stops in Malacca during his voyages in the region (flickr user Balaj Dutt)
Though only ruins today, St. Paul's Church is still a beautiful, evocative sight (flickr user chee.hong)
The sculpture at Chen Hoon Teng, like this example, is full of energy and color (flickr user yeowatzup)
Museums
- Baba and Nyonya Peranakan Museum: This museum is housed in an authentic Peranakan town house and provides a fascinating overview of Peranakan culture (also known as Baba-Nyonya culture).
- Muzium Budaya: Built in 1985 to replicate the palace of Sultan Mansur Syah (1456-77), this museum is worth seeing for visitors with an interest in cultural artifacts such as military items, clothing and royal objects.
Street Markets
- Jonker Walk: Jonker Walk, on Jonker street, is an open air night market held every weekend evening until late night. Enjoy a leisurely stroll along the street, catch a free performance and shop for some great local souvenirs and antiques.
- Night Market / Pasar Malam: The Night Market, known in Malay as Pasar Malam, is a market that is held from evening to around 9 p.m. every night in a different location. At Pasar Malam almost anything is sold, including food, clothing, small electronics and Chinese medicine.
The lively night market around Jonker Street makes for a fun evening of shopping and people-watching (flickr user crankywithoutcoke)
More Things to See in Malacca
Away from the core heritage neighborhoods you can still find some delightful sights:
- Portuguese Settlement: Here is where many of the descendants of the Portuguese who conquered Malacca in 1511 live today. The settlement, located just southeast of the city center, consists of tidy rows of mostly wooden houses leading up to Portuguese Square (in Malay, Medan Portugis) and Hotel Lisbon on the Strait of Malacca. The people here may look Malay but peer into their houses and you'll see the characteristic altar with status of Jesus and Mary perched high on their walls. Quite a few still speak Cristao (or Kristang), a Portuguese-Malay creole. There are also many restaurants where you can sample Portuguese fare.
- St. John's Hill and Fort. Malacca's other military installation, St. John's Fort, is located on top of St. John's Hill in Bandar Hilir, south of the city. Reconstructed by the Dutch in the third quarter of the 18th century, the cannons in this fort point inwards towards the mainland because at that time, the threat to Malacca was mainly from inland rather than the sea. The views are very nice.
- Bukit China, or China Hill, is one of the largest Chinese cemeteries outside of mainland China. Graves can be found here that go back to the late Ming dynasty (mid-17th century). Bukit China is a famous jogging spot for the locals and jogging tracks are available all over the hill. If you make it to the top you'll be rewarded by excellent views of Malacca below.
- Hang Li Po's Well: Legends have it that Hang Li Po was a Chinese princess from the Ming dynasty who was sent to Malacca to wed Sultan Mansor Shah in the 15th century when the Malacca Sultanate was at its zenith. She had 100 followers who were all settled on Bukit China, and this well, at the foot of the hill, was where they got their water.
- Poh San Teng Temple: This temple, located at the foot of Bukit China and next to Hang Li Po's Well, was founded in 1795 as a graveyard temple. It allows the descendants of those buried on Bukit China to conduct prayers to their ancestors protected from wind and rain.
Eating and Drinking in Malacca
Eating
Noodles like these are a staple of the Malaysian diet (source Popix, http://www.flickr.com/photos/babywalrus/)
While standard Malaysian and Western fare are easily found in Malacca, the Perenakan (or Baba-Nyonya) culture in Malacca has produced a few specialties of its own:
- ayam pongteh: Chicken casserole with salted brown-bean sauce, usually served with potatoes.
- ayam buah keluak: Chicken cooked with the paste made from crushed buah keluak nuts. Only try this one at a reputable restaurant--the seeds of the buah keluak, unless properly prepared, are actually poisonous!
- satay celup: To enjoy satay celup, you dip fishballs, crabsticks, prawns or other meats into a boiling vat of satay sauce. The sight of boiling satay sauce may not appeal to you but the crowds at the satay celup outlets testify to this food's popularity.
- itek tim: A soup containing duck and salted vegetables.
- chicken rice ball: Very common in Malacca, the chicken for this dish is much the same as the boiled chicken offered throughout Malaysia; what is unique is the rice--it comes in ping-pong sized balls.
Fresh and tasty, Malaysian foods such as satay celup will be a memorable part of your trip (flickr user chee.hong)
Drinking
When in Malacca, don't miss the cendol ("chen-dul"), a sweet dessert of coconut milk, lurid green noodles and gula Melaka (Malacca sugar), made from palm sap.
Although Malaysia is a Muslim country, alcohol is widely available.
Source: Wikitravel.org, licensed under the GFDL
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