The Historical City Of Malacca

Welcome to Malacca World Heritage City. On this site you
will find comprehensive listing with information on almost
every aspect of visiting and living in Malacca.

Malacca History
· Introduction
· The state crest
· The state flag
· History and historical chronology
· Malacca's historical sites
· Places of interest
· Trivia and folklore
  · The legend of Pulau Besar
  · St. Francis lore
  · The first school in Malaysia
  · Admiral Cheng Ho's famous fingerprints
  · A Chinese princess and a magic well
  · Population of Malacca in 1881
· Malacca Walkabout
  · Historical site walk
  · Religious houses tour
  · Jogging on Bukit China
· Legendary visitors of ancient Malacca
  · Admiral Cheng Ho (Zheng He)
  · Ferdinand Magellan
  · Saint Francisco Xavier
  · Sir Stamford Raffles
  · Yap Ah Loy
· The Malay Sultanate of Malacca
  · The early stages
  · The administration
  · The political functions
· The Portuguese conquest of Malacca
· The Malacca fort 'A Famosa'
· Back to the past
  · Alfred Russel Wallace (1854)
  · Isabella Lucy Bird (1879)
· Old paintings and maps of Malacca
· Black and white pictures of yesteryears
· The ruins of St. Paul's Church
· Birdwatching at Bukit China

Religious houses tour

People of all faiths settled in Malacca many centuries ago and built their temples, mosques and churches in the same neighbourhoods and practised their different religions with acceptance and harmony. Begin this tour at the oldest of all the buildings - the Cheng Hoon Teng Temple (1), in Jalan Tokong in Chinatown. Buddhists, Taoists and Confucianists worship together in this elaborately decorated temple built in the mid- 17th century. Alongside the temple are paper and incense shops crowded with offerings for Chinese worship.

A little further up the road, on the corner of Jalan Tukang Emas and Jalan Lekiu is the Kampung Keling Mosque (2), built in 1748. It has an unusual pagoda-like minaret and a huge Victorian chandelier. Further up the street about 50 metres on the same side is the colourful Sri Poyyatha Vinyagar Moorthi (3), the oldest Hindu temple in all Malaysia. Turn right into Lorong Hang Jebat at the next crossroads and walk the back roads of Chinatown to the intersection of Jalan Hang Jebat. Cross the bridge over the Malacca River and you face the Town Square. To your left is the old Dutch Christ Church (4), the oldest Protestant church in Malaysia, built in 1753. The 12.8 metre long ceiling beams were each cut from one single tree.

Continue up Jalan Laksamana, past the Youth Museum, Post Office, the bookshop, the Indian import shop and restaurants. On the right is St. Francis Xavier's Church (5), built in 1849 over part of the old Portuguese fort ruins. This twin-towered Gothic church is dedicated to St. Francis Xavier, known as the Apostle of the East, who spread Catholicism in the East in the 16th century. At the junction of Jalan Bendahara turn right into Jalan Temenggong and walk two blocks to the Malacca Sikh Temple (6). Walk further down Jalan Temenggong to the intersection of Jalan Munshi Abdullah. Directly in front is Bukit, China, the huge Chinese graveyard hill containing 12,500 graves, some dating back to the 15th century (7). Nearby, at the intersection of Jalan Munshi Abdullah and Jalan Puteri Hang Lih Po, is the Chinese temple of Poh San Teng(8). Shaded by a huge bulbous tree and set back in a white-washed courtyard, the temple is maintain by the trustees of the Cheng Hoon Teng Temple since the 1795. Adjacent to the temple is the Perigi Raja (9), the well of the Princess Hang Lih Po, who returned to Malacca with Tun Perpateh Puteh the envoy to China in 1459 as a present for the Sultan's harem. She and her 500 handmaidens lived at the base of Bukit China.

From this intersection walk back towards the town centre via Jalan Munshi Abdullah to the junction of Jalan Bendahara. Turn right and walk two blocks up to St. Peter's Church (10). Built in 1710, it is the oldest functioning Catholic church in the country and is the parish of the Portuguese Malaccans.

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We recommend the following site(s):
· The Dutch in Malaysia: Dutchmalaysia.net
· Malacca on Wikipedia: Wikipedia.org