Melaka, the Birthplace of Modern Day Malaysia

If you’ve' followed our travels, one of the things you’ll notice that we love to understand the history of a country and how that history has influenced the language, culture, food, economy, religion, government, and the people themselves. Melaka (or Malacca, as it’s know amongst English-speakers), Malaysia surprised us before we visited. We had heard bits and pieces about the city but didn’t fully comprehend how central the city was in birthing what is now modern-day Malaysia.

Melaka’s History and it’s Path to Merdeka

So, what does Merdeka have to do Melaka?

Merdeka is a word in the Malay and Indonesian languages meaning independent or free. It is derived from the Sanskrit maharddhika meaning "rich, prosperous and powerful". In the Malay archipelago, this term acquired the meaning of a freed slave and represents the Malay’s independence from the British Empire on 31 August 1963.

On our first full day in Melaka, we happened upon the Proclamation of Independence Memorial which is a museum dedicated to sharing the journey of Malaysia from independence to its modern development.

Melaka played an important role in that independence but for many years, it was occupied and controlled by foreign powers.

Malacca Sultante - 15th century: Under the sultan, Melaka emerged as one of the most important international trading ports of the time. It became the centre of Islamic learning and dissemination, and encouraged the development of the Malay language, culture and arts.

Portuguese control - 14 August 1511: In 1500, the Portuguese targeted Melaka to impede the Muslim and Venetian influence in the spice trade and increase that of Lisbon. At the time, Melaka was the largest spice market of the period and became the strategic base for Portuguese trade expansion with China and Southeast Asia. A strong gate, called the A Famosa was erected to defend the city

Dutch control - 15 January 1641: The Dutch launched several attacks on the Portuguese-controlled city and finally captured the city in January 1641. The Dutch were not as interested in Melaka as a trading port as they had established Jakarta and Java as their trading centres.

British control - 17 March 1824: Melaka was ceded to the British in the Anglo-Dutch Treaty of 1824 and Melaka remained under British rule until 1942, first by the British East India Company and then as a crown colony.

Japanese occupation - 11 January 1942: During WWII, Melaka came under the rule of the Empire of the Japan until 1945.

Malayan Union - 1 April 1946: After the war, the Malayan Union was conceived as a successor to British Malaya to unify the peninsula under a single government and to simplify administration. The Malayan Union formed a single British crown colony with all nine Malay states along with Penang and Melaka.

Federation of Malaya - 1 February 1948: Due to opposition from Malay nationalists, the Union was disbanded and replaced by the Federation of Malaya, which restored the symbolic positions of the rulers of the Malay states.

Independence as part of the Federation of Malaya - 31 August 1957: The Federation became independent on 31 August 1957, and in 1963, modern-day Malaysia was formed when the federation united with the Singapore, North Borneo, and Sarawak Crown colonies.

Our Experience of Malacca City

After wandering into the Proclamation of Independence Memorial, we spent the better part of our time in Melaka wandering the streets.

Malacca City (also spelled Melaka) is the capital of the coastal state of Malacca, in southwestern Malaysia. At its center is Jonker Street, Chinatown’s main thoroughfare, which is known for its antique shops and night market. We hung out and wandered the streets of Jonker during the day - but not at night - as our trip to Melaka was a quick weekend venture in the middle of a 3-4 week business trip to Kuala Lumpur.

While wandering around Jonker Street, we got off the beaten trail and ended up in a little food establishment where we got coffees and noodles.

While sitting in the restaurant and looking across the street, we noticed another little shop with a sign in Chinese and English that said “barbershop.” Because Nick needed a haircut, we stopped into that shop and Nick got a haircut from an 80-year old woman who has been cutting hair with her ‘friend’ for many, many years.

After the haircut, we wandered the streets of Jonker a bit more, happening upon a Chinese temple, and a place that made pineapple cakes, a speciality of Melaka. We also wandered a bit further down the canal, and sat and relaxed with an ice cold beer. And then we ended up getting a very inexpensive 2-hour massage (too long, by the way) before heading back to our hotel.

One of the highlights of our trip was our run on Sunday morning out to Masjid Selat Melaka, a gold-domed mosque that sits on and overlooks the Straits of Melaka. Completed in 2006, the mosque's grand archways are panelled with stained glass. We were not able to go in (because we were in running clothes and also because it was closed at the early hour we were there) but viewing it from the outside was spectacular as it appears to float over the water.

After our run that morning, we picked up some pineapple cakes for our colleagues back in Kuala Lumpur, hopped in the car and headed back for another week of work.

Melaka, we will be back…