WELCOME TO MALACCA (one of the states)
MALACCA history began in 1403 with the arrival of Parameswara, an exiled Hindu prince from Kingdom of Sri Vijay in Sumatra. He assumed the title of Raja Iskandar when he embraced Islam and became the first ruler of this new kingdom, which marked the early beginnings of the Sultanate of MALACCA.
In time, MALACCA gained prominence as a vibrant maritime trading centre and was convened by several foreign powers. The Portuguese led by Alfonso d ’Albuquerque conquered MALACCA in 1511 and colonized it for 130 years. The Dutch then came in 1641 and ruled for 154 years. They were followed by the British in 1824 who ruled until the country gained its independence. MALACCA also experienced Japanese occupation from 1942 to 1945. After World War Two, nationalistic sentiments began to spread culminating in the proclamation of independence on the 31st of August 1957.
Modern MALACCA set on a course of industrial development about two decades after
independence and forges ahead in its vision to be a fully industrialized state by the year 2010.
( So coveted was MALACCA by the European powers that it was ruled successively by the Portuguese, Dutch and the British until the federation of Malaya was formed on the 31st of August 1957.)
Porta de Santiago (A‘Famosa)
This prominent landmark in MALACCA was a fortress built by the Portuguese admiral, Alfonso
d ’Albuquerque in 1511. It was badly damaged during the Dutch invasion in 1641. Timely intervention by Sir Stamford Raffles, a British official, in 1808 saved what remains of the A‘Famosa today.
The name is often mispronounced
/eɪ/ Famosa, even among Malaysians, as though the Portuguese
definite article a were the English letter
A. A more authentic pronunciation would be
/ɑː/ Famosa.
The
fortress once consisted of long
ramparts and four major
towers. One was a four-story
keep, while the others held an
ammunition storage room, the residence of the
captain, and an officers' quarters. Most of the village clustered in town houses inside the
fortress walls. As Malacca's population expanded it outgrew the original fort and extensions were added around 1586. The fort changed hands in 1641 when the
Dutch successfully drove the
Portuguese out of Malacca. The
Dutch renovated the gate in 1670, which explains the logo "ANNO 1670" inscribed on the gate's
arch. Above the
arch is a bas-relief logo of the
Dutch East India Company.
The
fortress changed hands again in the early 19th century when the
Dutch handed it over to the
British to prevent it from falling into the hands of
Napoleon's expansionist
France. The
English were wary of maintaining the
fortification and ordered its destruction in 1806. The fort was almost totally demolished but for the timely intervention of
Sir Stamford Raffles, the founder of
Singapore, who happened to visit Malacca in 1810. Because of his passion for
history, this small gate was spared from destruction.
Moving from Porta de Santiago, the church that is located at the summit of the hill is easily accessible by a 5 to 10 minutes walk through the stairway. Upon reaching the top of St. Paul Hill, the tiredness of climbing stairs will be forgotten when you grasp the breathtaking view of Melaka city and the coastline.
