Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
233
palace built by Sultan Abu Bakar in 1866. Today it houses the r oyal collection of inter-
national treasures, costumes, historical documents, fine ar t from the family collection,
and relics of the sultanate. I t's at J alan Tun Dr Ismail (
&
07/223-0555;
adults US$7,
children 11 and under US$3; Sat-Thurs 9am-4pm).
This museum charges admission in
U.S. dollars; when y ou purchase your ticket, the ticket counter will conv ert the fee to
Malaysian ringgits, according to the day's exchange rate, to be paid in local currency. The
saracenic flavor of the
Bangunan Sultan Ibrahim (State Secretariat Building)
on Jalan
Abdul Ibrahim makes it feel older than it truly is. Built in 1940, today it houses the State
Secretariat.
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MELAKA (MALACCA)
Melaka's attraction is its cultural heritage, ar ound which a substantial tourism industr y
has grown. If you're visiting, a little kno wledge of histor y will help y ou appreciate all
there is to see.
Melaka was founded ar ound 1400 b y P arameswara, called
Iskandar S hah
in the
Malay Annals. After he was chased fr om Palembang in southern S umatra by invading
Javanese, he set up a kingdom in S ingapore (Temasek), and after being o verthrown by
invaders there, ran up the west coast of the Malay peninsula to Melaka, where he settled
and established a por t city. As the site was in a fav orable spot to take adv antage of the
two monsoons that dominated shipping routes, Melaka soon drew the attention of Arab
and Chinese traders, both of whom maintained very close relations for trade and political
advantage. I t was the early Arab mer chants who intr oduced I slam to M alaysia. After
Parameswara's death in 1414, his son, M ahkota Iskandar Shah, converted to Islam and
popularized the faith throughout the area.
During the 15th centur y, M elaka was r uled b y a succession of wise sultans who
expanded the wealth and stability of the economy; built up the administration 's coffers;
extended the sultanate to the far reaches of the Malay peninsula, Singapore, and parts of
northern S umatra; and thwar ted r epeated attacks b y the S iamese. The success of the
empire drew international attention.
The Portuguese were eyeing the port and formulating plans to dominate the east-west
trade route, to establish the naval supremacy of Portugal and promote Christianity in the
region. They struck in 1511 and conquered Melaka in a battle that lasted only a month.
After the defeat, the sultanate fled to Johor while the Portuguese looted the city and sent
its riches off to Lisbon.
The Portuguese were the first of a chain of r uling foreign powers who would struggle
in vain to r etain the early economic success of the city . The foreign conquerors had a
major strike against them: Their staunch Christianity alienated the locals and r epelled
Arab traders. The city quickly became nothing mor e than a sleepy outpost.
In 1641, the Dutch, with the help of Johor, conquered Melaka and controlled the city
until 1795. Again the Dutch were unsuccessful in rebuilding the glory of past prosperity
in Melaka, and the city continued to sleep .
In 1795, the Dutch traded Melaka to the British in return for Bencoolen in Sumatra,
being far more concerned with their Indonesian interests anyway. Melaka became a per-
manent British settlement in 1811, but b y this time had become so poor and alienated
that it was impossible to bring it back to life.
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