A' Famosa, Melaka

Yes, the gate lay in ruin. Yes, even the pavement looked to be worn out. But did you notice the coats-of-arms above the gate itself? Well, when the Dutch took over Malacca, they also went ahead to re-construct the fort. What is now on the apex of the gate is a Dutch East India Company's emblem.

I was told that there is a chinese junk in the picture and where it was etched in was because the Chinese traded quite a bit in this area. Is the history lesson I'd picked up correct?

A crooked bridge to link Malaysia to Singapore was what a Malaysian ex-Prime Minister have been fighting for. But a crooked entrance at A'Famosa or what is known as Porta de Santiago. We'll I'll get to that story after my history lesson!

I learnt so much about Alfonso De Albuquerque in the history book and it's one name I remember the most. Why? Because its unique - Much nicer sounding than Christiano Ronaldo. After taking control of Malacca in 1511, he went on to build the fort in 1512.

People could visit the fort but in the evenings, the gates would be closed and only Portuguese could remain on the grounds. So well protected right? But still they lost out to the Dutch and during the siege, many Portuguese died of various diseases.

Oh yes, now for the crooked gate story. The gates leading to A'Famosa was built in a fashion that ensured a canon blast does not go through the doorway to damage the compound. And how is that done? The Portuguese ensured that there's a kink - a sharp bend to as seen in the entrance. So there's the story.

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Inside the Melaka Sultanate Palace is the Muzium Budaya. The Palace is actually a replica of the original palace. The building is completely made of wood and not a single nail is used! The museum exhibits things that focus entirely on the traditional Melakan culure. The building also houses the Terngganu Stone which is the first evidence of Islam on Peninsular Malaysia.

Porta de Santiago (A Famosa) – These ruins were built by the Portugues in 1511 and are probably the 2nd most photographed attraction in Malacca. Originally built as a fortress it underwent major structural damage during the Dutch invasion. The Dutch set out to tear down the fort but was stopped by Sir Stamford Raffles who’s intervention in 1808 saved what remains of the fortress today.

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Just like the "Red Square" reminds you of the Dutch colonial time, the Porta de Santiago is one of the main remains of the Portuguese colonial period over Malacca.

This was the main gate to the walled town. This ancient Portuguese town was built on the Hill of Saint Paul, protected by a powerful fort known as "A Famosa". The Saint James's Gate is the only remain of this fort.

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Your visit to Melaka is not complete if you are not visiting the famous Portugese Monument the A'Famosa. There is no cover charge whatsoever to visit the A'Famosa. The effort that needed here is just to climb a few steps to visit the main building which is situated on the top of the hill. A must for all visitors and tourist.

The hallmark of Melaka and perhaps the most photographed landmark next to the Stadthuys. Built by the Portugese in 1511 as a fortress it sustained severe structural damage during the Dutch invasion. The Dutch had set to destroy it but timely intervention by Sir Stamford Raffles in 1808 saved what remains of A' Famosa today.

This building suffered the same fate as St. Paul's Church. The remains are the front facade of the fortress and two cannons. Nothing much left to see on this historical structure. It's merely a landmark of the glorious past.

A Famosa, or "The Famous" in Portuguese, is among the oldest surviving European architectural remains in Asia. Once part of a mighty fortress, this tiny gate (called the Porta de Santiago) is all that is left of a once-mighty fortress. In 1511 a Portuguese fleet arrived under the command of Alfonso de Albequerque. His forces attacked and successfully defeated the armies of the native Sultanate. Moving quickly to consolidate his gains, Albequerque had the fortress built around a natural hill near the sea. After remvoing the Portuguese, the Dutch renovated the gate in 1670, which explains the logo "ANNO 1670" inscribed on the gate's arch. Above the arch is a bas-relief logo of the Dutch East India Company. The fortress changed hands again in the early 19th century when the Dutch handed it over to the British to prevent it from falling into the hands of Napoleon's expansionist France. The English were wary of maintaining the fortification and ordered its destruction in 1806. The fort was almost totally demolished but for the timely intervention of Sir Stanford Raffles, the founder of Singapore, who happened to visit Melaka in 1810. Because of his passion for history this small gate was spared destruction.