Historical Melaka (Malacca (Melaka))

Member Name: chamkiong

Product:	Malacca (Melaka)
Date:	15/07/00 (76 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Rich with history and cultures, cheap

Disadvantages: none

If one day, you plan to visit Malaysia, one of the destination that you must not miss is Melaka. It is a small state situated about 200 km down south of the capital, Kuala Lumpur. Small it may be now, but 600 years ago, it was one of the superpowers in the South East Asia region. The history of Malaysia in fact begins from Melaka. The empire later collapsed when it lost to the west superpowers, Portugese, the Dutch and the English, during the industrial revolution in the europe. Due to its enriched history, Melaka is known as the historical city of Malaysia. 15th of April is declared as a Melaka historical city day and it is a public holiday.

Therefore, historical buildings, landscape and properties are among the attractions in Melaka. Coincidentally, these places are concentrated in an area, thus easing tourists to move from one attraction to another. Not to be missed is Portuguese fort, Porta de Santiago or better known as the Malacca fort. Behind the fort is a small hill where the St Paul church was constructed. Other attractions include The Independence Memorial, the Cultural Musuem and The Stadhuys. The Cultural Museum architecture is a replica of the Melaka sultanate palace in the 15th century. Not far from this site, lies the another museum with its architecture a replica of the Portuguese ship, Flora de Lama, which sank in the Malacca Straits.

Another attraction in Melaka is the Baba-Nyonya (Peranakan) group whose cultures are a mixture of the Chinese and the Malay. While this group practise most of the Chinese Culture, they mostly speaks Malay language.

Alternative to the historical attractions are attractions in Ayer Keroh. Most popularly visited ones are Mini Malaysia, Butterfly farm, Crocodile Farm and Malacca Zoo.

Melaka has never failed to impress tourists, therefore, it is a must visit if you decide to tour Malaysia.

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