Sights in Melaka
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Bukit China
East of Little India is Bukit China, which, besides being the largest Chinese graveyard outside of China, is also Melaka's best jogging track. More than 12,500 graves, including about 20 Muslim tombs, cover the 25 grassy hectares. Since the times of British rule until today there have been several attempts to acquire Bukit China for road widening, land reclamation or development purposes. Fortunately, Cheng Hoon Teng Temple, along with strong community support, has thwarted these attempts.
In the middle of the 15th century the sultan of Melaka imported the Ming emperor's daughter from China as his bride, in a move to seal relations between the two countries. She brought w…
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St Paul's Church
St Paul's Church is a wonderfully breezy sanctuary reached after a steep and sweaty climb up a flight of stairs. Originally built by a Portuguese captain in 1521 as the small Our Lady of the Hill chapel, St Paul's Church is a sublime testament to Catholicism in East Asia and offers bright views over Melaka from the summit of knobby Bukit St Paul.
Inside the decaying stone interior are hefty, intricately engraved tombstones (of the Dutch nobility that are buried here) that lend an eerie air to an otherwise light atmosphere. The church was regularly visited by St Francis Xavier, who performed several 'miracles' in the church, and following his death in China the saint's bod…
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Jonker's Walk Night Market
On Friday and Saturday nights, Jln Hang Jebat turns into the not-to-be-missed Jonker's Walk Night Market. Here you'll find heaps of snacks and hawker's stalls where you can graze and nibble to make a satisfying meal. For self-catering or curiosity, there's a local vegetable market (Taman Laksmana) on Saturday night from around 17:30.
Dr Ho Eng Hui eats fire and throws knives, but the real reason to stick around and watch this Jonker's Walk Night Market kung fu master is to see him pummel his index finger into a coconut. If you're not familiar with the strength of a coconut's husk, think back to Tom Hanks in the film Castaway. Remember how he spends hours hurling a coconut…
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Porta de Santiago
A quick photo stop but a must for anyone visiting Melaka, Porta de Santiago was built by the Portuguese as a fortress in 1511. The Dutch were busy destroying the bulk of the fort when forward-thinking Sir Stamford Raffles came by in 1810 and saved what remains today. Look for the 'VOC' inscription of the Dutch East India Company on the arch; ironically, this part of the fort was used by the Dutch after their takeover in 1670.
In November 2006, work on a highly controversial 110m revolving tower at a site near the tourist office, uncovered another part of the famous wall, thus halting further tower construction. Locals are thrilled that the sure-bet eyesore will be relocat…
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Chitty Museum
As well as the Baba-Nonya, Melaka also has a small community of Chitty - Straits-born Indians, offspring of the Indian traders who intermarried with Malay women. Having arrived in the 1400s, the Chitties are regarded as older than the Chinese-Malay Peranakan community. Their area of town, known as Kampung Chitty, lies west of Jl Gajah Berang, about 1km northwest of Chinatown; look for the archway with elephant sculptures beside the Mutamariman Temple.
It's a pretty district in which to wander and see traditional Malay-style houses. This tiny Chitty Museum makes a great excuse to stroll to Kampung Chitty. It's a community effort with a collection of colourful artefacts suc…
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8 Hereen Street
Run by the Heritage Trust of Malaysia, this 18th-century Dutch period residential house was restored as a model conservation project. The friendly host will show you around and describe what era each style of the building came from (some as far back as the Portuguese occupation) and what life would have been like inside its walls over the centuries. The project was partially chronicled by Lim Huck Chin and Fernando Jorge in their beautifully designed coffee-table book Voices from the Street, which is for sale at the house along with other titles on historical Melaka. You can also pick up an Endangered Trades: A Walking Tour of Malacca’s Living Heritage (RM5) booklet and…
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Masjid Tranquerah
Masjid Tranquerah takes a back seat to Masjid Kampung Hulu in terms of age but is still one of the oldest mosques in Malaysia (over 150 years old). In its graveyard is the tomb of Sultan Hussein of Johor, who signed over the island of Singapore to Stamford Raffles in 1819. The sultan later retired to Melaka, where he died in 1853. The mosque is out of Chinatown about 2km towards Port Dickson along Jln Tun Tan Cheng Lock, which turns into Jln Tengkera.
Avoid visiting this and any Malaysian mosque during prayer times, always remove your shoes and dress conservatively (knees to elbows covered). Although not required, women should wear a headscarf if possible.
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Cheng Ho Cultural Museum
A lengthy paean to Ming Admiral Cheng Ho (Zhenghe), this extensive museum charts the tremendous voyages of the intrepid eunuch Muslim Chinese seafarer. As a favourite servant of the Chinese emperor’s fourth son, Prince Zhu Di, Cheng Ho later became an army officer and ultimately the admiral of China’s ‘Treasure Fleet’, a convoy that solidified China’s control over most of Asia during the 15th century. It’s a great stop for history buffs, although there’s too much information here for anyone expecting a casual visit. The ticket price includes a 15-minute film presentation on Cheng Ho.
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Medan Portugis
Roughly 3km east of the city centre on the coast is the Medan Portugis. The small kampung centred on the square is the heart of Melaka's Eurasian community, descended from marriages between the colonial Portuguese and Malays 400 years ago, many of whom speak the creole language of Kristang (also called Papiah Kristang, Cristão or Cristan - derived from the word Christian). (For further information on the Kristang language, go to www.joanmarbeck.net.)
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Fort St John
Although the British demolished most of Porta de Santiago, they spared the small Dutch Fort St John. Originally a Portuguese chapel dedicated to St John the Baptist (until the Dutch rebuilt it in the 18th century), it stands on a hilltop to the east of town just before the turn-off to Medan Portugis. Only a few walls and cannon emplacements of the fort remain, but there are fine views from the hilltop. In the mornings a group of locals practice t'ai chi on the grassy field next to the fort.
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Cheng Hoon Teng Temple
Malaysia’s oldest traditional Chinese temple (dating from 1646) remains a central place of worship for the Buddhist community in Melaka. Notable for its carved woodwork, Cheng Hoon Teng Temple is dedicated to Guanyin, the Goddess of Mercy. All building materials for the temple were imported from China, along with the artisans involved in its construction. A robed effigy of Guanyin can be found within the main temple hall, itself an explosion of black, gold and red.
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Masjid Kampung Hulu
The oldest functioning mosque in Malaysia, this was commissioned by the Dutch in 1728. The Portuguese had destroyed all non-Christian establishments during their occupation, but the Dutch had different colonisation tactics and decided to help the locals rebuild their places of worship instead. The resulting mosque is made up of predominantly Javanese architecture with a multitiered roof; at the time of construction, domes and minarets had not yet come into fashion.
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Fortune-Teller Booths
Uncover your destiny at one of several little Chinese fortune-teller booths along Jonker's Walk on Friday and Saturday nights. The local Chinese in Malaysia frequently consult these mystics to ask for advice or to find out the most auspicious times of the year for certain occasions (such as weddings, financial investments, travel etc). Techniques range from card reading to fortune sticks, palm reading and Chinese astrology.
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Villa Sentosa
While not an official museum, the 1920s Malay kampung house Villa Sentosa, on the Melaka River in Kampung Morten, is well worth a visit. A member of the family will show you around the house. There’s a varied collection of objects, including Ming dynasty ceramics and a 100-year-old copy of the Quran, but most of all it’s an opportunity to wander through a genuine kampung house.
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Maritime Museum
Housed in a huge re-creation of the Flora de la Mar, a Portuguese ship that sank off the coast of Melaka, the Maritime Museum merits a visit. Clamber up for a detailed examination of Melaka’s history via faded and dated props. The museum continues in the building next door with more absorbing exhibits featuring local vessels plus an assortment of nautical devices.
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Stadthuys
Melaka’s most unmistakable landmark and favourite trishaw pick-up spot is the Stadthuys, the imposing salmon-pink town hall and governor’s residence. It’s believed to be the oldest Dutch building in the East, built shortly after Melaka was captured by the Dutch in 1641. The vivid colour theme extends to the other buildings around the Town Square and the old clock tower.
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Baba-Nonya Heritage Museum
The captivating museum is arranged to look like a typical 19th-century Baba-Nonya residence. Furniture consists of Chinese hardwoods fashioned in a mixture of Chinese, Victorian and Dutch designs with mother-of-pearl inlay. The highlight is the tour guides who tell tales of the past with a distinctly Peranakan sense of humour.
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St Peter’s Church
The oldest functioning Catholic church in Malaysia, St Peter’s Church was built in 1710 by descendants of early Portuguese settlers. On Good Friday the church comes alive when the Melakans flock here, many of them making it the occasion for a trip home from far-flung parts of the country.
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Kampung Kling Mosque
This hoary mosque has a multitiered meru roof (a stacked form similar to that seen in Balinese Hindu architecture), which owes its inspiration to Hindu temples, and a Moorish watchtower minaret typical of early mosques in Sumatra.
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Sultanate Palace
Housing a cultural museum, this wooden replica of a Melaka sultan’s palace is based on descriptions, from the Malay Annals, of the original 15th-century palace, built entirely without nails.
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Sri Poyyatha Vinayagar Moorthi Temple
One of the first Hindu temples built in the country, this temple was built in 1781 on the plot donated by the religiously tolerant Dutch and dedicated to the Hindu deity Vinayagar.
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History & Ethnography Museum
The extensive History & Ethnography Museum has a number of historical re-creations as well as displays of Chinese and Malay art, weapons and ceramics.
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Muzium Rakyat
The Muzium Rakyat covers everything from gasing uri (top-spinning) to mutilation for beauty. It is worth visiting if you have time on your hands.
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Architecture Museum
The Architecture Museum focuses on local housing design. It is worth visiting if you have time on your hands.
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Islamic Museum
The Islamic Museum is worth visiting if you have time on your hands.
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