Malaysia

One of Malaysia's most sought after destinations, the small city-state of Melaka lures droves of visitors to its historic port city, where they are quickly steeped in an intoxicating multicultural world of heritage architecture and the alluring aromas of distinctive local cooking. It's sometimes said that this is where you'll glimpse the soul of the nation.

Before the 20th century

In the 14th century, Melaka was just another fishing village - until attracting the attention of Parameswara, a Hindu prince from Sumatra. Parameswara had thrown off allegiance to the Majapahit empire and fled to Temasek (modern-day Singapore), where his piracy and other exploits provoked a Siamese attack in 1398, forcing him to flee once more to Melaka, where he established his new headquarters.

Under Parameswara, Melaka soon became a favoured port for waiting out monsoons and resupplying trading ships plying the strategic Selat Melaka. Halfway between China and India, and with easy access to the spice islands of Indonesia, Melaka attracted merchants from all over the East.

In 1405 the Chinese Muslim Admiral Cheng Ho, the 'three-jewelled eunuch prince', arrived in Melaka bearing gifts from the Ming emperor and the promise of protection from Siamese enemies. Chinese settlers followed, who came to be known as the Baba and Nonya or Straits Chinese. The longest-settled Chinese people in Malaysia, they grafted many Malay customs to their own heritage. Despite internal squabbles and intrigues, by the time of Parameswara's death in 1414, Melaka was already a powerful trading state.

The cosmopolitan centre also encountered Islam via traders from India. The third ruler of Melaka, Maharaja Mohammed Shah (1424-44), converted to Islam, and his son, Mudzaffar Shah, took the title of sultan and made Islam the state religion.

Under the banner of Islam, Melaka became Southeast Asia's major entrepôt, attracting Muslim Indian merchants from competing Sumatran ports, and a centre for Islam, disseminating the religion throughout the Indonesian archipelago. The Melaka sultans ruled over the greatest empire in Malaysia's history, successfully repelling Siamese attacks. The Malay language became the lingua franca of trade in the region, and Melaka produced the first major piece of Malay literature, the Sejarah Melayu (or Malay Annals), a history of the sultanate.

In 1509 the Portuguese came seeking the wealth of the spice and China trades, but after an initially friendly reception, the Melakans attacked the Portuguese fleet and took a number of prisoners.

This prompted an outright assault by the Portuguese, and in 1511 Alfonso de Albuquerque took the city, forcing the sultan to flee to Johor, where he re-established his kingdom. Under the Portuguese, the fortress of A'Famosa was constructed, and missionaries like St Francis Xavier strove to implant Catholicism.

While Portuguese cannons could easily conquer Melaka, they could not force Muslim merchants from Arabia and India to continue trading there, and other ports in the area, such as Islamic Demak on Java, grew to overshadow Melaka.

The period of Portuguese strength in the East was short-lived, as Melaka suffered harrying attacks from the rulers of neighbouring Johor and Negeri Sembilan, as well as from the Islamic power of Aceh in Sumatra. Melaka declined further as Dutch influence in Indonesia grew and Batavia (modern-day Jakarta) developed as the key European port of the region.

Melaka passed into Dutch hands after an eight-month siege in 1641. The Dutch ruled Melaka for only about 150 years. Melaka again became the centre for peninsular trade, but the Dutch directed more energy into their possessions in Indonesia.

In Melaka they built fine public buildings and churches, which remain the most solid suggestions of European presence, while Medan Portugis is still home to Portuguese Eurasians, many of whom are practising Catholics and speak Kristang (Cristao), a creole littered with archaic Portuguese.

Modern history

When the French occupied Holland in 1795, the British - Dutch allies - temporarily assumed administration of the Dutch colonies. The British administrators, essentially traders, were opposed to the Dutch policy of trade monopoly and saw the potential for fierce rivalry in Malaysia between themselves and the Dutch.

Accordingly, in 1807 they began demolishing A'Famosa fortress and forcibly removing Melaka's Dutch population to Penang to prevent Melaka rivalling British Malayan centres if Dutch control was restored. Fortunately Sir Thomas Stamford Raffles, the far-sighted founder of Singapore, stepped in before these destructive policies went too far. In 1824 Melaka was permanently ceded to the British.

From 1826 until 1946, Melaka was part of the Straits Settlements together with Penang and Singapore, and the three British territories were the centres for later expansion into the peninsula. However, under British rule Melaka was eclipsed by other Straits settlements and quickly superseded by the rapidly growing commercial importance of Singapore.

Apart from a brief upturn in the early 20th century when rubber was an important crop, Melaka returned again to being a quiet backwater, awaiting its renaissance as a tourist drawcard. The colony was dissolved in 1946 when Melaka joined the Malayan Union, which eventually became Malaysia.

Recent history

Modern Melaka was swept up in the sudden economic boom that traversed Malaysia in the 1990s. Massive land reclamation projects, which tapered off during the ensuing economic downturn, pushed the historic waterfront so far inland, however, that it endangered the traditional livelihood of the Portuguese fishing community.

Malacca has a rich seam of heritage, but many argue that this is under threat from those twin fruits of development: commercialisation and modernisation. Nevertheless, Melaka confidently remains one of Malaysia's most rewarding tourist experiences.

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The temperature in Melaka ranges from 21°C (70°F) to 33°C (91°F) and average humidity exceeds 82%. There is rain throughout the year, with September to November the wettest months.

Average weather

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Transport

Getting around

Melaka is a medium-sized town that's easy to navigate and compact enough to explore on foot, bicycle or trishaw (bicycle rickshaw).

Bicycles can be hired at some guesthouses and hotels; there are also a few bike hire outfits around town, including Jin Fu Shin (55 Jl Parameswara).

Taking to Melaka's streets by trishaw is a popular tourist option. Competition among the old drivers is keen and their vehicles are becoming increasingly kitsch. You'll have to bargain.

Melaka's airport is at Batu Berendam, 9km (5.5mi) north of the town centre. Take bus 65 from Melaka Sentral, or a taxi.

A useful service is Town Bus 17, which runs every 15 minutes from Melaka Sentral to the centre of town, past the huge Mahkota Parade shopping complex, to Taman Melaka Raya and on to Medan Portugis.

Taxis charge a flat rate for a trip to most places around town with a 50% surcharge after 01:00.

Getting there and away

Melaka is 144km (89mi) from Kuala Lumpur and just 94km (58mi) from Port Dickson. Most travellers arrive and depart from Melaka overland, as the airport outside town does not handle domestic flights.

Express buses to KL and Singapore are plentiful and bus connections link with other peninsular destinations. Trains do not stop at Melaka but at Tampin, 38km (24mi) north of town.

High-speed ferries connect with Dumai in Sumatra. Tickets are available at the Dumai Ferry Service (tel: 286 1811; G35 Jl PM2, Plaza Mahkota) and other ticket offices near the wharf.