Melaka
UNESCO World Heritage Site Inscribed 2008; The Sultanate That Controlled The Strait, Then Taken By Portugal In 1511, The Dutch In 1641 And Britain In 1824 And All Four Are Still Standing · Melaka, Melaka
WHOEVER HELD MELAKA HELD THE STRAIT, AND WHOEVER HELD THE STRAIT TAXED THE TRADE BETWEEN CHINA AND INDIA. The sultanate founded around 1400 made this one of the great entrepot ports of the world - AND THEN EVERYONE CAME FOR IT. THE PORTUGUESE TOOK IT IN 1511, THE DUTCH IN 1641, THE BRITISH IN 1824, and the astonishing thing is that ALL OF IT IS STILL THERE, stacked on one small hill: the PORTA DE SANTIAGO, all that survives of the Portuguese fortress; ST PAUL'S on the summit, where FRANCIS XAVIER WAS BURIED before his body was moved to Goa; and the STADTHUYS below, built by the Dutch around 1650 and reckoned the oldest Dutch building in the East. Around them the Chinese, Peranakan, Kristang and Indian communities that the trade produced. IT IS ALSO HEAVILY COMMERCIALISED - the LED trishaws playing pop music are not a rumour. Jonker Street's night market runs Friday to Sunday evenings only, several museums close Monday or Tuesday, and weekends fill the whole heritage core with day-trippers.
Melaka City, Melaka, Melaka, Melaka, Malaysia
MELAKA IS ABOUT TWO HOURS BY ROAD FROM KUALA LUMPUR and is easily done as an overnight. THE HERITAGE CORE IS COMPACT AND WALKABLE and the outdoor monuments - PORTA DE SANTIAGO, ST PAUL'S HILL, THE STADTHUYS SQUARE - are open and free. MUSEUMS AND THE BABA-NYONYA HERITAGE MUSEUM keep daytime hours, charge admission and several CLOSE ON MONDAYS OR TUESDAYS. JONKER STREET'S NIGHT MARKET RUNS FRIDAY, SATURDAY AND SUNDAY EVENINGS ONLY - if that is what you came for, the day matters more than the month. CHENG HOON TENG and KAMPUNG KLING MOSQUE are active places of worship with dress rules. THE RIVER CRUISE runs through the day and into the evening. WEEKENDS BRING VERY LARGE DOMESTIC AND SINGAPOREAN CROWDS; midweek is a different town.