The surviving gate
The last remnant of a fortress built in 1511.
User:Vmenkov — CC BY-SA 3.0 · Marcin Konsek — CC BY-SA 4.0 · Marcin Konsek — CC BY-SA 4.0 · Marcin Konsek — CC BY-SA 4.0
All that remains of the oldest European fortress in Southeast Asia is a single stone gate. The Portuguese built the fort in 1511 after seizing Malacca from its Malay sultanate; it passed to the Dutch in 1641, and when the British set about demolishing it completely in the early nineteenth century, Stamford Raffles stepped in at the last moment to save this one gate. Its original name is the Porta de Santiago, and above its arch the coat of arms of the Dutch East India Company is still carved with the date 1670, a reminder that three colonial powers took turns here. Old cannon stand in front, and behind it steps climb St Paul's Hill. The visit is short and free, and the gate is one of Malacca's best-known photographs, so it is crowded by day. The best times are early morning or after dark, when it is lit and the crowds and heat ease. For an Arab visitor there is another layer here: this gate stands witness to the fall of the Muslim sultanate of Malacca, once one of the richest ports in the world, and the Sultanate Palace Museum a few steps away tells the other side of the story, so pair the two.
The last remnant of a fortress built in 1511.
The East India Company arms dated 1670 above the arch.
Portuguese, Dutch and British in one spot.
Jalan Kota, below St Paul's Hill, Malacca
Melaka Sultanate Palace MuseumBefore the Portuguese arrived in 1511, Malacca was the capital of a Muslim sulta2 minutes walk4.3
St Paul's ChurchThe roofless ruin of a church on top of the hill overlooking old Malacca and the2 minutes walk4.5
Stadthuys and Dutch SquareEverything around you is red: the Stadthuys, completed by the Dutch around 1650 4 minutes walk4.5
Menara Taming SariA round glass cabin holding around sixty-six people rises slowly up a column abo5 minutes walk4.5
Melaka River CruiseA boat ride of about forty-five minutes on the river Malacca grew up around, pas5 minutes walk4.2It is a short stop but Malacca's emblem, and it sits on the route between the old town's main sights. Make it the start of your walk, climbing on up St Paul's Hill.