ABOUT MELAKA

The city of Melaka (Malacca) is the state capital for the state of Melaka, one of the 13 states in Malaysia. Melaka city is located about 150 km south of Kuala Lumpur and can be reached by land, air and sea.

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Founded more than 600 years ago, Melaka began as a fishing village but transformed into an entrepot under the Malay Sultanate of Melaka in the 15th century. The Sultanate of Melaka developed into a regional empire dominating the Straits of Melaka with territories covering the peninsular Malaysia and part of the east coast of Sumatra in Indonesia.

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The Portuguese defeated the Sultanate of Melaka in 1511 and then occupied Melaka for the next 130 years. In 1641, the Dutch ousted the Portuguese and became the new colonial master in Melaka.​ Melaka was temporarily placed under the British administration in 1795 following events in Europe. The Dutch returned briefly before passing down Melaka to the British following a treaty In 1824. During the Second World War, Melaka fell to the Japanese and so as the rest of peninsular Malaysia. The British returned after the war and granted independence to Malaya in 1957 of which Melaka was one of the states of the new sovereign nation. Malaya subsequently became Malaysia six years later.

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Due to her colourful past, Melaka is now rich of culture, heritage and legacy. In 2008, Melaka was listed as a World Heritage City by UNESCO. Melaka is one of the most popular and unique tourist destinations in Malaysia.