Malacca or Melaka is a little place in a country called Malaysia. It is situated by the Straits of Malacca. From the history books, Malacca has started from very far. It all started when a prince from a neighbouring country came to the shores. In a nutshell, the history of Malacca is very colourful. It has a bit of Portuguese, Dutch, English and Japanese.
Till today, you can see remnants of their "stay" in Malacca. From the Portuguese, you may still see their younger generation at the Portuguese Settlement, situated at Ujong Pasir. From the Dutch, we have Kampong Belanda, but we all know by the name Heeren Street. From the Dutch, you may be able to see the nice architecture. The English has provided us with the famous Queen of Victoria Fountain situated at the "Red Building". Infact, the Clock Tower area, we can see structures of these 3 forces.
It is the oldest surviving building in the former Dutch colonies, the old Dutch Reformed Church - now Christ Church and several other old buildings which were built by the Dutch. The governor's residence is a copy of the city hall of Hoorn (in the Netherlands) of that time, now the sister city of Malacca. The brick buildings were originally plastered white and are now completely painted red. Malacca's Dutch Square is now known by the common people as the Red Square.
Rumor has it that the old buildings at Malacca's Dutch Square were built using the bricks imported all the way from the Netherlands. It is said that the bricks were loaded in ships sailing for Melaka and used for ballast. Upon reaching Melaka, they would unload the bricks to be used for the construction and replace them with merchandise for their return journey to the Netherlands. 
Standing exactly as it has always been since 1753, Christ Church in Melaka is a living testimony to Dutch architectural ingenuity. Located at one end of the main square near the Stadhuys, this famous place of interest is a bright red Dutch Reformed church which was built to replace St. Paul's as the main place of worship. The pink bricks came from Zeeland, Holland and local red laterite was used to plaster the bricks.
Take note of the church's handmade pews which are over two hundred years old, ceiling beams constructed without joints, Brass Bible, tombstone written in Armenian and 'Last Supper' in glazed tiles and it is definitely a must visit place for those of the Christian faith. When the British ruled Melaka, this place was converted into an Anglican church and a weathercock and bell tower was added to the existing structure with the Dutch tombstones and Armenian tombstones still being kept intact and its beauty has made this place a famous tourist attraction in Melaka.
St.Francis Xavier's Church, The Gothic Church with twin towers built by Frenchman Rev. Farve in 1849, is dedicated to St. Francis Xavier, known as the "Apostle of the East". St. Francis Xavier is well remembered for spreading Catholicism to South-East Asia during the 16th century.
St. Paul's Church was built by a
Portuguese named Duarte Coelho
in 1521 with various renovations added to the place throughout the 1500s. Although it is now known as St. Paul's Church, it was not always so. Its original name was "Our Lady of the Hill". However when the Dutch took over Malacca and turned the church premise into a burial ground, it was renamed. There are still various tombs of Dutch noblemen found at the grounds for that historical sentimentalism.
St Peter's Church: Built in 1710 during the Dutch occupation in Malacca. It is the oldest Roman Catholic church in Malaysia and it was built on a piece of land donated by a Dutch gentleman. Maryber Franz Amboer. Its facade and decor has a combination of Eastern and Western architecture. One of its bells was cast in Goa in 1608.
St John's Fort: Rebuilt by the Dutch during the third
quarter of the 18th century, the fort was once a private Portuguese chapel dedicated to St. John the Baptist. The fort has an interesting feature in that its gun embrasures face inland, for during that period, attacks on Melaka came mainly from the hinterland and not from the sea.
From the churches, now the mosques. These mosques have been placed due to its significance to the community.
Masjid Kampung Hulu built in 1728 is the oldest functioning mosque in Malaysia in its original location (at the corner of Jalan Masjid Kampung Hulu and Jalan Masjid). Interestingly, the mosque was commissioned by the Dutch as part of their multi-religious policy. Before them, the Portuguese had ordered the destruction of all signs of non-Christian establishments.
This included the tearing down of Malacca’s first mosque.
And true to its multi-cultural intent, the style of the mosque has the characteristics of a Javanese mosque with its three layers of flared pyramidal roofs.
But unlike traditional Javanese mosques, Masjid Kampung Hulu does not have timber walls. Instead, they are made of stone and brick. Also, like other mosques found in Malacca, you will find Chinese ornamentation like the crown-like pinnacle surmounting the roofs, ceramic roof and floor tiles from the Qing Dynasty and the stone minaret with its pagoda-like form.
Another distinctive feature of Masjid Kampong Hulu is its use of carved sea stones lining the inside of the dome. The two pictures, taken 70 years apart, show a mosque that seems to have remained largely unchanged, except maybe for the kind of traffic it sees these days.
(Source : http://www.nst.com.my/Current_News/Merdeka/news/merdeka/20070725102807/Article/index_html)
Architecturally, this mosque is very unique. Instead of minarets, a pagoda has been built in its place. The mosque itself is somewhat pyramid-shaped instead of dome-shaped as in Moorish type mosques. Here then, is evidence that Islam has had a place in Malacca for more than 600 years. Within the grounds of this mosque lies the tomb of Sultan Hussain of Johor who signed the cessation of Singapore with Sir Stamford Raffles in 1819. From the mosques, now to the temples....
The Cheng Hoon Teng, built in 1645 by Kapitan Lee Wei King with building materials imported from China, Cheng Hoon Teng served as the main place of worship for the local Hoklo (Hokkien) community. The main hall was built by Kapitan Chan Ki Lock in 1704 and was rebuilt in 1801 by Kapitan China Chua Su Cheong, who contributed to the aesthetic and magnificent structural additions of the building. Its the oldest temple in Malaysia. The building conforms strictly to the principles of feng shui, incorporating the fundamental belief that every aspect of life is closely related to attaining perfect harmony with nature. According to granite tablets, the temple was carefully laid out to ensure a view of the river and high ground on either side.The temple is dedicated to Kwan Yin, the Goddess of Mercy, whose statue is enshrined in the main hall. Side halls are dedicated to other deities: Ma Choe Poh, the Queen of Heaven and protector of fishermen and sailors; the red-faced Kwan Ti, god of war, patron of literature and upholder of justice; and Sui Tai, the golden-faced Goddess of Wealth.
The Sri Poyyatha Vinayagar Moorthi Temple, built in 1781 on land given by the Dutch, it is one of the oldest Hindu temples in Malaysia. The central altar is dedicated to Vinayagar, or Ganesha, with a secondary shrine to his younger brother Murugan, indicating the temple's South Indian origins.Malacca has a unique blend of culture. It has a little bit of foreign and local. From the historical past, the Portuguese, Dutch and English. From the Eastern side, the range is very wide, it includes the Chinese, Gujeratis, Javanese and Bugis.
Peranakan / Straits Born Chinese / Baba Nyonya
Potrait of a NyonyaThe Babas are descendants of an early Chinese community that settled in the Malay archipelago at least since the 17th century. Many members of the early community were seafarers who traded between the ports of southern China and those of Southeast Asia. The oldest Chinese communities can be found in Malacca. As Chinese women were by law not allowed to leave their native country until the middle of the 19th century, many of these early traders married non-Muslim natives of the Malay archipelago, such as Balinese or Batak slaves.
In the 18th and 19th centuries the Babas were involved in opium, sireh, nutmeg and liquor farming, pepper and gambier cultivation, tin mining, commodity trading and property. In the early 20th century, many Babas invested in rubber.
They also worked as compradores (Chinese middlemen) for big Western companies and banks. As a Chinese community that always considered Malaya home, many Peranakans were involved in civic projects and local government, and numbered among the key players in Malaysia and Singapore's road to independence. Many Nyonyas also led the way in female emancipation.
In the 21st century, the Babas face the same dilemmas and problems as other Chinese communities in Singapore and Malaysia--the decline of traditions, the inability to speak the dialect, the growing number of mixed marriages. All these factors lead to the great changes in the culture and uncertainty about the future. However the growth in Baba cultural activities as well as in memberships of Baba organisations indicate a growing awareness of the community's heritage and the importance of seeing it into the future.
Clearing up the terms.
Up to the early 20th century, the terms "Baba", "Straits Chinese", "Straits-born Chinese" and "Peranakan" or "Peranakan Chinese" all referred to the same people. The women are known as "Nyonyas". Older ladies are also known as "Bibiks".
However after World War 2, many Babas began to differentiate between "Baba", "Peranakan" and "Straits Chinese". Some writers feel the term "Straits Chinese" refers to the Chinese born and bred in the Straits Settlements (ie., Singapore, Malacca and Penang), and who regarded the colonies as their home.
A "Straits Chinese" person is therefore not necessarily a "Baba". Similarly, the term "Peranakan" is a Malay word for someone who is "born locally". However, in common usage in English-Language publications, all these terms are synonymous.
(Source : http://peranakan.org.sg/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=26&Itemid=57)The Melaka Chitty community (also known as the Malacca Straits-born Hindus) has been in Malacca, Malaysia since the reign of the Malacca Sultanate in the early 15th. century. As Malacca gained its popularity, more and more traders including the Hindus from the Corromandel Coast, Southern India thronged its port.
Inter-marriages between the Hindu traders and the Malays, Chinese, Javanese and Bataks were then unavoidable. Through the process of assimilation, these traders had gradually adapted themselves to a new lifestyle. Thus the term 'Melaka Chitty' was born. As staunch believers of the Hindu faith, the Melaka Chitty community still uphold their religious ceremonies and beliefs but with a unique blend.
In Malacca, one can easily notice this unique community in Kampung Chitty, Gajah Berang which is situated about 2.5 kilometres from the city centre. It consists of a few castes namely; Pandaram, Pillay, Neiker, Raja, Pathair, Chitty and Padaichi.
They strongly resemble the Malays and Baba Nyonyas (the Malacca Straits-born Chinese) in terms of clothing, spoken language, food and appearance. No doubt they are inarticulate in Tamil (the Hindu language), they still maintain their Hindu names and customs.
(Source : http://www.geocities.com/mlkachittii1u2/)
The Kristang are an ethnic group of people of mixed Portuguese and Asian descent, which arose in Malacca and Singapore between the 16th and 17th centuries. Some of them speak a distinctive Kristang language, a creole based on Portuguese and Malay.
The Kristang community is believed to have originated in part from marriages between and local native women and Portuguese men (sailors, soldiers, traders, etc.) who came to Malacca and Singapore during the age of Portuguese explorations. The community probably was immigration of people of mixed Portuguese and Indian ancestry, coming from Portuguese-held possessions in India, chiefly Goa.
The name "Kristang" appears to be used occasionally also for other people of mixed European and Asian descent presently living in Malaysia and Singapore; including people with Portuguese descent who are not part of the historical Kristang, and people with other European ancestry, such as Dutch or British.
The name comes from Malay kristang ("Christian"), itself from Portuguese cristão. Other synonyms for the Portuguese community are Serani (short for Malay "Nasrani", meaning followers of Jesus the Nazarene); and "Gragok" (slang term for Malau "Geragau" or shrimp, referring to the fact that the Malaccan Portuguese were traditionally shrimp fishermen). The community is known, by themselves, as Gente Kristang ("Christian People").
Places To Visit
Malacca has many places to visit. It depends on what you are looking for. From the architecture buffs to the food lovers.
Historical Sites
At the time of the Portuguese arrival in the Asian seas, Malacca, thanks to its strategic position on the strait bearing the same name, was a remarkable trading center for the trade and shunting of spices. At that time, Malacca was ruled by a Muslim Sultanate. The town extended its influence over a vast territory, which included the whole Malaya Peninsula.Its port was frequented by a multitude of ships and merchants from all the Asian nations of the time: Arabia, Persia, China, India, Japan, Indonesia, Ceylon, and Bengal. In it were gathered and sold all the Asian spices: pepper, cloves, ginger, cinnamon, nutmeg, etc.
After their arrival in India, the Portuguese soon became aware of the importance of the city. An expedition sailed to Malacca in 1509 but failed, and many of the Portuguese were captured and imprisoned by the Sultan. In 1511, the ViceRoy of India, Afonso de Albuquerque, decided to organize an expedition destined to conquer Malacca. At the head of 1.100 - 1.200 men and 14 ships, Afonso de Albuquerque arrived in view of Malacca in June of 1511 and immediately demanded the rescue of the Portuguese that were taken prisoners in the 1509 expedition. The Sultan tried to gain time to strengthen the town defenses. He was well aware of the small number of Portuguese troops and was confident on his powerful army of 20.000 men and 2.000 guns.
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