Introduction

Malacca is believed to be the starting point for the Sultans to be established in Peninsular Malaysia. Historical books such as Sejarah Melayu, or Malay Annals, attribute the formation of Malacca in the 14th Century to a Hindu prince from Palembang in Sumatra, who arrived from Temasek (Singapore). The prince came from the now Srivijaya empire which used to be powerful Indonesian empire but was fast losing its influence that time.

Parameswara was in search of a location to establish a kingdom, and having arrived in a spot by the Malacca River, spotted one of his dogs being startled by a mouse deer, the smallest deer species in the world, and falling into the river by accident. Parameswara took this as an auspicious symbol of the place and decided to establish a port, taking the name of the tree he was resting under as its name; a Melaka Tree (Indian Gooseberry). Still, some others say that the name was inspired by the Arabic term 'Malakat', which means market place, referring to the trading port that Malacca had become. Over time, his lineage came to embrace Islam and established the Sultanate, which spread the religion through parts of the Malay archipelago.

In the early 15th Century, things took a dramatic turn for the bustling port, which had attracted traders from as far as China, India and the Middle East. The first colonists in Malaysia arrived in the form of Portuguese traders, who were chased off by the Sultan on the behest of Indian traders in Melaka. On the second arrival in 1511, the Portuguese seized the port with cannons and guns, and caused the Sultan to establish his throne somewhere else on the Peninsular, starting with Johor. In 1614, the Dutch arrived and in turn, chased out the Portuguese. It was another 150 years before the Dutch traded Melaka for Bencoolen in Sumatra with the British. Gradually, Malacca lost its importance as a trading port, especially with the growth of Singapore, but it has now gained famed as historical tourist spot in Malaysia today.