Malacca
This article is about a state in Malaysia. For the homonymous woody plant from which canes are made, see rattan. Malacca is also another name for Car NicobarMalacca (
Jawi: ملاك;
Malay:
Melaka), dubbed as
Negeri Bersejarah (Malay: historical state) or
Negeri Hang Tuah (Hang Tuah state) is the second smallest
state in
Malaysia. It is located in the southern part of the
Malay Peninsula, on the
Straits of Malacca. The state's capital is
Malacca Town.
Although Malacca was the original Malay sultanate, the state has no
Sultan today. Instead, the head of state is the
Yang di-Pertua Negeri or Governor.
Malacca is on the southwest coast of the
Malay Peninsula opposite
Sumatra, with the states of
Negeri Sembilan to the north and
Johor to the east.
The offshore
Pulau Besar, Melaka is also part of Melaka.
Malacca has a population of 648,000 as of
2001, being composed of:
*
Malays: 50%;
*
Chinese: 40%;
*
Indians, including the
Chitty people: a sizeable minority;
*
Kristang, people with partial
Portuguese ancestry: a small community.
The major towns of Malacca are
Malacca Town,
Alor Gajah,
Masjid Tanah,
Jasin,
Merlimau,
Pulau Sebang and
Ayer Keroh.
Sultanate of MalaccaMalacca was founded by
Parameswara, a
Srivijayan prince who left
Sumatra in
1396 in order to further his enmity with the
Majapahit Empire. According to a popular legend, Parameswara was resting under a tree near a river while hunting, when one of his dogs cornered a
mouse deer. In self-defence, the mouse deer pushed the dog into the river. Impressed by the courage of the deer, and taking it as a propitious omen of the weak overcoming the powerful, Parameswara decided on the spot to found an empire on the very place that he was sitting. He named it "Melaka" after the tree under which he had taken shelter.
Parameswara converted to
Islam in
1414 and changed his name to "Sultan Iskandar Shah". What started as a fishing village then grew into the most important port in the region, attracting traders from
Java,
India,
Arabia and
China, and served as a stopping point for China-India trade during the two
monsoon periods. Mass settlement of Chinese, mostly from the
imperial and
merchant fleet occurred during the reign of Parameswara, occurred in the vicinity of the
Bukit China ("Chinese Hill") area, which had among the best
Feng Shui (
geomancy) in Malacca then. Sultan Iskandar Shah died in
1424, and was succeeded by his son, Sri Maharaja.
Unfortunately, the prosperity of Malacca attracted the invasion of the
Siamese. Attempts in
1446 and
1456, however, were warded off by Tun Perak, the then Chief Minister. The development of relations between Malacca and China was at that time a strategic decision to ward off further Siamese attacks.
Because of its strategic location, Malacca was an important
outpost for
Zheng He's spectacular exploration fleet. To enhance relations,
Hang Li Po, allegedly a princess of the Ming Emperor of China, arrived in Malacca, accompanied by 500 attendants, to marry Sultan Mansur Shah who reigned from
1456 until
1477. Her attendants married the locals and settled mostly in
Bukit China.
A cultural result of the vibrant trade was the expansion of the
Peranakan people, who spread to other major settlements in the region.
During its heyday Malacca was a powerful Sultanate which extended its rule over the southern
Malay Peninsula and much of Sumatra. Its rise help to hold off the Thai's southwards encroachment and arguably hasten the decline of the rival
Majapahit Empire of Java. Malacca was also central in the spread of Islam in the
Malay Archipelago.
Colonization
Malacca was conquered on
August 24,
1511 by the
Portuguese viceroy of India,
Afonso de Albuquerque and it became a strategic base for Portuguese expansion in the
East Indies.
Sultan Mahmud Shah, the last Sultan of Malacca took refuge in the hinterland, and made intermittent raids both by land and sea, causing considerable hardship for the Portuguese. Finally in
1526, a large force of Portuguese ships, under the command of Pedro Mascarenhas, was sent to destroy Bentan, where Sultan Mahmud was based. Sultan Mahmud fled with his family across the
Straits to
Kampar in
Sumatra, where he died two years later.
The
Jesuit missionary Francis Xavier spent several months in Malacca in
1545,
1546 and
1549. In
1641 the
Dutch defeated the Portuguese to capture Malacca with the help of the Sultan of
Johore.
The Dutch ruled Malacca from
1641 to
1795 but they were not interested in developing it as a trading centre, placing greater importance to
Batavia (
Jakarta) in
Indonesia as their administrative centre.
Malacca was ceded to the
British in the
Anglo-Dutch Treaty of 1824 in exchange for
Bencoolen on Sumatra. From
1826 to
1946 Malacca was governed, first by the
British East India Company and then as a
Crown Colony. It formed part of the
Straits Settlements, together with
Singapore and
Penang. After the dissolution of this crown colony, Malacca and Penang became part of the
Malayan Union, which later became Malaysia.
Malacca is administered by its
State Assembly and Executive Committee (EXCO). The State Assembly represents the highest authority in the state and decides on policy matters. The EXCO is responsible to the State Assembly and comprises members who are appointed every five years by the political party in power. It is headed by the Governor (Yang Di-Pertuan Negeri) who is appointed by the
Yang di-Pertuan Agong of Malaysia.
The
Chief Minister's Department is the administrative pillar of the State Government, and is responsible for the overall administration of the State, as well as its political interest. The administrative complex houses the Chief Minister's office, as well as the office of the
State Secretariat. For administrative purposes, Malacca is divided into three districts under separate jurisdiction:
* Malacca Central District & Land Office
* Alor Gajah District & Land Office
* Jasin District & Land Office
These offices render various services and facilities to the people in their daily lives.
The
tourism and
manufacturing sectors are the two most important sectors in the state
economy. Malacca has adopted as its slogan, "Visiting Malacca Means Visiting Malaysia" (
"Melawat Melaka Bererti Melawati Malaysia"). It is rich in cultural heritage and bears several places of historical interest.
Apart from tourism, Malacca is also a manufacturing centre for products ranging from food and consumer products, through
high-tech weaponry and
automotive components to
electronic and
computer parts. There are at least 23
industrial estates that houses some 500 factories from the
United States,
Germany,
Japan,
Taiwan, and
Singapore.
Malacca has given birth to numerous successful Malaysians who have achieved immense success in Malaysia and abroad. Among them is
Sim Wong Hoo who help founded the global sound technology company -
Creative Technology have found education and success outside of Malacca.
The state is much sought after for medical education with the setting up of the
Melaka Manipal Medical College. It has produced many doctors who are serving the country or working abroad since its inception in 1997.
The state also has a branch campus of
Multimedia University. The campus currently attracts many foreign students, especially those Middle East and Africa, for its computer and engineering courses. The university also features degree programmes in fields like robotics and bio-instrumentation. Most of the student population of Multimedia University is drawn from its foundation programmes, also known as the Alpha Programmes.
Malacca also host a public university college, Kolej Universiti Teknikal Kebangsaan Malaysia.
Malacca boasts of the most up to date medical infrastructure, comparable to developed countries. There are numerous hospitals, both government and private, spread throughout the state. They are listed below:
*Government hospitals
**Melaka General Hospital
**Jasin District Hospital
Currently, both these government hospitals serve as teaching hospitals for
Melaka Manipal Medical College.
*Private Hospitals
**Putra Hospital (formerly known as Southern Hospital, owned by the state government)
**Pantai Ayer Keroh
**Mahkota Hospital (opposite Mahkota Parade)
Malacca's private healthcare services are becoming increasingly sought after by patients from as far away as Indonesia and Singapore.
Malacca is well-known for its food. Most notable of all is the
Nyonya-Baba cuisine which is a mixture of Chinese and Malay cooking with most dishes being spicy in nature. Interesting dishes of the Peranakan dishes include Itek Tim(a soup containing duck and salted vegetables), Ayam Pong Teh (chicken casserole with a salted brown beans sauce) as well as the famous Nyonya
Laksa.
|
Baba-Nyonya house in Melaka |
The Portugese colonization of the early 16th century also contributed dishes like Devil's Curry and Portugese tart to the town's already rich cuisine. Interesting Chinese cuisine in Melaka includes the popular
Chicken Rice Ball as well as
dodol, a sort of solidified pudding generally made with durian or coconut. Ikan Bakar restaurants are also popular in Melaka with places like Umbai, Serkam and Alai being the choice of the populace.
The average tourist can find most of the eating experience in Melaka to be found at the foodcourts or medan selera as they are referred to in the local Malay language.
Melaka's ethnic Portuguese population is a unique cultural and historical legacy of Portuguese colonization in the 16th and 17th century. Even to this day, many of the ancient traditions passed down since the Portuguese occupation are still practised, i.e. "Intrudu" (water festival that marks the beginning of the
Catholics
fasting season, the season of Lent), "branyu" (traditional dance), "santa cruz" (a yearly
fiesta of street celebrations).
Tampin, a town 30 km north of Malacca town, is the nearest
train station that serves Malacca. There were
railway tracks from Tampin to Malacca before
World War II but was dismantled by the
Japanese during the war for the construction of the infamous
Burmese Death Railway. It was never rebuilt after the war though traces of the line remain.
Malacca has a
bus station ,Melaka Central which is an impressive structure unmatched in the country with airconditioned waiting areas and separate areas for buses plying the town routes and for buses plying the intertown routes with regular
bus services to
Singapore,
Kuala Lumpur,
Johor Bahru, and other places in Malaysia. It also has an
airport at Batu Berendam which today mainly serves
chartered flights from around the region.
The Ayer Keroh exit at the
North-South highway is the main entry to Malacca. There are two additional exits along the North-South highway, namely the Alor Gajah and Jasin exits.
|
Example of gravestone from St Francis Xavier Church. |
*
Fort A Famosa: Constructed by the Portuguese in 1511, it suffered severe structural damage during the Dutch invasion. The plan by the British to destroy it was aborted as a result of the intervention of Sir
Stamford Raffles in
1808.
*
St. John's Fort: 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.
*
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 is a mix of both eastern and western
architecture. Its
bell was delivered from
Goa in
1608.
*
St. Paul's Church: Constructed by the Portuguese
captain, Duarte Coelho, this church was named "Our Lady of The Hill", but was later turned into a burial ground by the Dutch for their noble dead, and renamed "St. Paul's Church". Currently the church is part of the museum complex for the Malaccan Museums Complex. The body of St. Francis Xaxier was interred here temporarily before it was taken to Goa, India.
*
Christ Church: Constructed in
1753, the structure reflects original Dutch architecture. The building houses hand-crafted church benches, jointless ceiling
skylights, a
copper replica of the
Bible, a
headstone written in the
Armenian language, and a replica of "
The Last Supper".
*
Francis Xavier Church: This
Gothic church was built by the
French priest, Father Paderi Fabre, in
1849, to commemorate St. Francis Xavier who is also known as the "Apostle of the East". St. Francis Xavier is credited for his Catholic
missionary work in
Southeast Asia during the
16th century.
*
Stadhuys Building: Constructed in
1650 as the residence of the Dutch Governor and his deputy, the structure reflects Dutch architecture. It is today the "Museum of History and
Ethnography". The
museum exhibits traditional wedding clothes and
artifacts of Melaka, dating back to its days of glory.
*
Jonker Street (Jalan Hang Jebat): This street is famous for its
antique goods.
In order to attract more tourists to Malacca, the State government has built a number of museums to house its rich cultural heritage.
*
Official Malacca government website*
Malacca's Colonial Past*
Bringing Malaccans Together and Malacca to the World*
Malacca's Jonker Walk Touring Malacca's historical street
*
Portuguese rule in Malacca*
Dutch rule in Malacca*
Some photographs of Malacca*
Pictures of Malacca - Malaysia*
RoyalArk- Malaysia- Malacca-Johor mainly genealogy and (dynastic) history
*
WorldStatesmen Malay states*
Littoral states move closer for Strait of Malacca security Article about security in Strait of Malacca
*
Photographs of Malacca*
Satellite Images of Malacca at Google Maps*
Malacca Placemarks for Google Earth
