Melaka is the great places !!: July 2013

Sunday 28 July 2013

Malacca Straits Mosque

The Malacca Straits Mosque (Malay: Masjid Selat Melaka) is a mosque located on the man-made Malacca Island near Malacca Town in Malacca state, Malaysia.[1] It looks like a floating structure if the water level is high. Construction cost of the mosque is about MYR10 million.[2] The Opening Ceremony was done on the 24th of November 2006 by the Supreme Ruler of Malaysia (Yang di-Pertuan Agong) Tuanku Syed Sirajuddin Syed Putra Jamalullail.

Melaka Sultanate Watermill

The Melaka River was the site of origin that witnessed the birth of the Melaka port during the Melaka Sultanate. The Melaka port serves as an international port for traders from the all around the world, both from the East (China, South East Asian) and the West (Indian, Arabian, European traders) during the 13th to the 16th...

Traditional House of Sungai Rambai with Limas roof, 'tunjuk langit' and tebar layar

A typical traditional Melaka house stands on 12 to 16 main pillars, usually two metres high. The decorative flower-motif tiled steps are its most striking feature. Traditional Melaka houses can still be seen in rural communities with the most famous located in Merlimau.
Traditional Malacca Malay houses can be seen especially in the Merlimau area about 20 km south of Melaka City on the coastal road to Muar and Johor.

Culture Melaka Malay Traditional House

Culture: Melaka Malay Traditional House

Typical Melaka Town Malay Traditional House with long roof and tiles staircases

‘Rumah Melayu Melaka’ or Malacca Malay House is the traditional Malay house that can be found in Malacca. It can still be found in the whole of Malacca today. It is only traditional Malay housed which mainly can be recognized by its glazed and multicoloured tiles on the staircases which are imported from Europe and China. Flowers are a common motif.

MELAKA INTERNATIONAL DRAGON BOAT RACE

Melaka International Dragon Boat Championship to be held in Malaysia UNESCO Heritage City ! Mark your date on 17 June at famous Melaka River. Cash Prize available for Winners of categories. Take a look at the event notice below and contact the organizers. Hoop to Melaka for a fun day of racing

MELAKA INTERNATIONAL RIVER FESTIVAL

Enjoyed the excitement of funfilled activies specially programme along Melaka River. You will be fascinated by the various activities that had been arranged to make a one month festival a memorable one.

The Nyonya Chang (dumpling)

When I saw customers coming in and taking away dozens of Nyonya kuih, that’s the first hint that they should be good. And I was right. The Nyonya Chang (dumpling) here tastes like those from the old days, it has a filling of dried shrimp, mushroom and pork cooked with sambal and spices – simply delectable. If you came here without trying the Chang you don’t know what you’re missing out on. Now, I only regret not trying the rest of the kuih they have like kuih koci and rempah udang.

Cendol

Move over Jonker 88, I have found my favorite cendol in Melaka at East & West Rendezvous Cafe. Made according to traditional recipe and using only 100% pure gula Melaka, it has the perfect balance of sweetness and creaminess. If you do not have the luck of visiting Aunty Koh at Bukit Rambai, try this instead!

Wildlife Theatre Melaka

One of Melaka latest tourist attraction, Wildlife Theatre Melaka is officiated Yang di-Pertua Negeri, Tun Mohd Khalil Yaacob on the 25 November 2011 and open to the public in 26 November 2011.

In Wildlife Theatre Melaka, you will be entertained by the trio sea lion, “John, Mary and Ann” and various reptiles and birds from all over the world. The 60-minute sea lion show will be held twice daily at 3 p.m. to 4 p.m. and 7.30 p.m. to 8.30 p.m. The huge amphitheatre can accommodate approximately 800 people at a time. The well designed greenery and various facilities such as cafe, souvenir shop and car park facilities will provide you with a truly educational experience.

Wildlife Theatre Melaka was built primarily to provide a unique centre for the promotion and education of eco conservation. In an attempt to enhance one’s learning experience, Wildlife Theatre Melaka will provide engaging wild classroom style featuring sea lions’ educational programs, reptiles and cultural performances. Participants will be able to have a close-up interactive encounter with various types of animals.

Menara Taming Sari

Officially opened to the public on the 18th of April 2008, Menara Taming Sari is the first gyro tower in Malaysia, as endorsed by the Malaysian Book of Records. The Taming Sari Tower is 110 metres high, and its revolving feature offers visitors a 360-degree panoramic view of the Malacca town.

Menara Taming Sari is named after the Taming Sari keris, as the structure’s design follows the shape of the keris, with the peak of the tower resembling the keris hilt. The Taming Sari keris is a mythical weapon belonging to the legendary Malay warrior, Hang Tuah. The keris was a prize to Hang Tuah from the Majapahit kingdom for killing their supposedly invincible enemy warrior named Taming Sari. The keris derives its name from the original owner. Taming Sari keris is said to possess mystical power, making those who possessed it invincible.

Menara Taming Sari is managed by Melaka Taming Sari Bhd, which is a subsidiary of Kumpulan Melaka Berhad, wholly owned by Malacca State government. Built using advanced Swiss technology at a cost of RM24 million, the structure of Menara Taming Sari is reportedly strong enough to withstand earthquakes measuring up to 10 Richter scale.

A ride in the Menara Taming Sari starts as the glass cabin hypnotically revolves as it rises from the ground to the top of the tower. The tower is able to accommodate 66 people per viewing session and lasts about 7 minutes per session. As the glass cabin reaches the top, a breathtaking view from the height of 80 meters, the ride offers you a spectacular and panaromic view of Historical Malacca City. Various interesting places can also be sighted such as the Stadhuys, St Paul’s Hill, Proclamation of Independence Memorial Building, Samudera Maritime Museum and the ship, Flor De La Mar, Malacca River, Pulau Melaka and the Straits of Malacca. A ride at night provides visitors a totally different view. Hence it is worth taking rides both in daytime and at night.

In addition to the opportunity to get a bird’s-eye view of Malacca, this attraction is also fitted with a tourist information centre and several commercial outlets consisting of a café, a restaurant and souvenir shops.

Location

Menara Taming Sari is located in the popular district of Bandar Hilir on Jalan Merdeka, within walking distance from Mahkota Parade Shopping Complex and Dataran Pahlawan Megamall.

Monday 22 July 2013

Melaka Festival

Melaka Arts and Performance Festival (MAPFest) is an innovative contemporary festival, featuring dance, performance art, visual art, film and music. In a short space of time since its inception in 2009, MAPFest has gained a high national, and increasingly international profile, being recognised for its program of exciting independent arts, collaborations and its use of alternative sites for performance.

The festival draws from Melaka's foundation myth, its famous heritage sites, and Melaka's collective ancestral heritage to create a space where contemporary culture and artistic practice comes into focus and is shared across cultural and socio-economic divides in a three day celebration which remains free to all.

‘Turning Around’ - transformation through the creative drive - remains the central inspiration for the festival, connecting both to the foundation myth for Melaka, and the festival's objective of assisting contemporary arts to play a role in Melaka's revival alongside its heritage-driven tourist industry. This year the specific focus within that broad theme is the traces of transformation.

We are also pleased to have a new stage to showcase the richness of traditional Malaysian and international performance. In the future we hope to initiate crosspollination of contemporary and traditional practice.

MAPFest remains free and accessible for all. Continuing Melaka's rich history as a centre for meetings and exchange between cultures, it will create opportunities for artists and art lovers to share in each others' work and perspectives.

We hope you enjoy the festival!

DATARAN PAHLAWAN MELAKA MEGAMALL

Experience the most sensational shopping experience of a life time in Dataran Pahlawan Melaka Megamall! Witness the fusion of history with modern everyday shopping, exciting events with a peace of mind that you have your treasured one-stop megamall from the latest fashion to culinary delights to an adventurous indulgence for everyone!

Laksa Nyonya

NYONYA LAKSA

This humble stall specializes in Peranakan food and is located in the backyard of a colonial-style bungalow. Try the Nyonya laksa, popiah and pai tee. The laksa is pungent, rich and well flavoured from the spices and chillies. Pai Tee (also known as top hats) is a crunchy flour cup filled with julienned vegetables, omelette and fried shallots. Very nice with chilli sauce.

The popiah is one of the better ones in Melaka, where the egg wrap is generously filled with

BUTTERFLY & REPTILE SANCTUARY IN MALACCA

Butterfly & Reptile Sanctuary is a tourist attraction in Ayer Keroh, about 15km northeast of Malacca town. Also known as Taman Rama Rama, it is home to a collection of animals ranging from beautiful butterflies to snakes, lizards, crocodiles, koi fish and even a pair of gorgeous golden leopards.

Spread across an 11ha jungle area, the complex is part secondary jungle and part landscaped park. The well-maintained sanctuary was opened in 1991 and is divided into five sections: the Koi River Valley, Butterfly Garden, Reptile Aviary, Wild Photo Lane and Nature’s Art Centre.

Butterfly Garden

First up is the walk-through Butterfly Garden, the Butterfly & Reptile Sanctuary’s premier attraction. It is a place where hundreds of butterflies, simply bursting with colours, fly freely.

The garden has more than 20 different species of butterflies, including the Black and White Helen, Malayan Birdwing, and the Rajah Brooke’s Birdwing (Malaysia’s National Butterfly, named after Sir James Brooke, the ‘Raja’ (King) of Sarawak).

Introduction Of Melaka

Introduction

Malacca (Malay: Melaka, dubbed "The Historic State" ) is the third smallest Malaysian state after Perlis and Penang. It is located in the southern region of the Malay Peninsula, next to the Straits of Malacca. It borders Negeri Sembilan to the north and Johor to the south. The capital is Malacca City, which is 148 km south east of Malaysia's capital city Kuala Lumpur, 235 km north west to Johor's largest city Johor Bahru, and 95 km north west to Johor's second largest city, Batu Pahat. This historical city centre has been listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 7 July 2008.

Although it was the location of one of the earliest Malay sultanates, the monarchy was abolished when the Portuguese conquered it in 1511. The head of state is the Yang di-Pertua Negeri or Governor, rather than a Sultan.

History of Melaka

The history of Malacca is largely the story of the city for which it is named, and the story of the city of Malacca begins with the fascinating and partly legendary tale of the Hindu prince Parameswara.

The Malay Annals relate that Parameswara was a fourteenth-century Palembang prince who, fleeing from a Javanese enemy, escaped to the island of Temasik (present-day Singapore) and quickly established himself as its king. Shortly afterward, however, Parameswara was driven out of Temasik by an invasion by the Siamese, and with a small band of followers set out along the west coast of the Malay peninsula in search of a new refuge. The refugees settled first at Muar, Johor, but they were quickly driven away by a vast and implacable horde of monitor lizards; the second spot chosen seemed equally unfavorable, as the fortress that the refugees began to build fell to ruins immediately. Parameswara moved on. Soon afterward, during a hunt near the mouth of a river called Bertam, he saw a white mouse-deer or pelanduk kick one of his hunting dogs. So impressed was he by the mouse-deer's brave gesture that he decided immediately to build a city on the spot. He asked one of his servants the name of the tree under which he was resting and, being informed that the tree was called a Malaka, gave that name to the city. The year was 1400.

Although its origin is as much romance as history, the fact is that Parameswara's new city was situated at a point of tremendous strategic importance. Midway along the straits that linked China to India and the Near East, Malacca was perfectly positioned as a center for maritime trade. The city grew rapidly, and within fifty years it had become a wealthy and powerful hub of international commerce, with a population of over 50,000. It was during this period of Malacca's history that Islam was introduced to the Malay world, arriving along with Gujarati traders from western India. By the first decade of the sixteenth century Malacca was a bustling, cosmopolitan port, attracting hundreds of ships each year. The city was known worldwide as a center for the trade of silk and porcelain from China; textiles from Gujarat and Coromandel in India; camphor from Borneo; sandalwood from Timor; nutmeg, mace, and cloves from the Moluccas, gold and pepper from Sumatra; and tin from western Malaya.

Unfortunately, this fame arrived at just the moment when Europe began to extend its power into the East, and Malacca was one of the very first cities to attract its covetous eye. The Portuguese under the command of Afonso de Albuquerque arrived first, taking the city after a sustained bombardment in 1511. The Sultan Mahmud fled to Johor, from whence the Malays counterattacked the Portuguese repeatedly though without success. One reason for the strength of the Portuguese defence was the construction of the massive fortification of A Famosa or Porta De Santiago, only a small portion of which survives today.

A Famosa ensured Portuguese control of the city for the next one hundred and fifty years, until, in 1641, the Dutch after an eight-month siege and a fierce battle. Malacca was captured, but it lay in almost complete ruin. Over the next century and a half, the Dutch rebuilt the city and occupied it largely as a military base, using its strategic location to control the Straits of Malacca. In 1795, when the Netherlands was captured by French Revolutionary armies, Malacca was handed over to the British by the Dutch to avoid capture by the French. Although they returned the city to the Dutch in 1808, it was soon given over to the British once again in a trade for Bencoleen, Sumatra. From 1826, the English East India Company in Calcutta ruled the city, although it experienced Japanese occupation from 1942 to 1945. Independence did not arrive until 1957, when anti-colonial sentiment culminated in a proclamation of independence by His Highness Tunku Abdul Rahman Putra Al-Haj, Malaysia's first Prime Minister.

Introduction of Melaka

Introduction

History of Melaka

Features of Melaka State

Sunday 28 July 2013

Location

Monday 22 July 2013