A Famosa Fort

Reedz sez: Happy Sunday everyone! In case you didnt realize, my guest blogger Souljah has been posting his travel journal on his visit to Malacca and Johore recently, which was organized by Tourism Malaysia. Based on the accounts so far Malacca is a fascinating destination with Kampung Morten, Stadthuys Square, and of course Famosa Fort. I dont know about you, but I’m looking forward to seeing more of Soujah’s pics from his trip 😉

Almost everyone (except me of course) posing for a group photo. I’ve come to be nicknamed “Download” after this, saying that they can just download this photo from the site. Let’s see if I can remember everyone… Cikgu Hjh, Dayangku, Zareena from BT, Yan, Atiqah, [the korean looking lady], Pg., Rafee, Jeff, Achong from BB, and Zamzam our tour guide from Melaka.

The other well known landmark, apart from Stadthuys Square, is the unmistakable A Famosa Fort. Once the stronghold of the Portuguese forces under the command of Alfonso de Albuquerque, it serves as an outpost for the safe passage of Portuguese ships trading their wares from Portugal to China and vice versa.

When the Dutch drove the Portuguese out in 1641, they took over control of the fort. Then in the early 19th Century, the Dutch handed over Melaka to the British, while consolidating their focus on Batavia, present day Jakarta.

But in actuality, the photos that you are looking at are the ruins of St. Paul’s Church, with a statue of St. Francis Xavier. Why? The actual ‘fort’ was almost summarily destroyed when the British took over if not for the actions of Sir Stamford Raffles. Now all that is left is the small gate at the foot of the hill still standing the test of time. The white structure in front of the church was actually a lighthouse, built around 1934.

After the Dutch took over Melaka, they brought over as well the Protestant beliefs, phasing out Catholicism. And by 1753, with the completion of the Christ Church in Stadthuys, this church was all but abandoned. And  by the British arrival in Melaka, they erected this light house, and used the church for gunpowder storage.

“Old tombstones found inside the ruins bear silent testimony to the final resting place of several Dutch and Portuguese nationals.”

An exterior shot of the church as we head down towards the Fort’s gate. Zareena from Brunei Times as a comparison.

In the background, you can see the fort’s gate, with schoolchildren on their holidays in the foreground.

Bonus photos: the heat and the fatigue from climbing the hill got to us by this point.

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