The House My Forefathers Built

The week draws to a close and I was not the only one who went as Pintukopak went...'wah weekend already? So fast ah'. Yup, time seems to be accelerating by. Spent part of the afternoon with Pintukopak in the blazing Sun to get some shots for her skeleton and fort ruin story at the heart of the old city.

Work on reconstruction of the Dutch annex at part of the former 16th Century Portuguese excavated ruins should be completed in a month's time. It represents just a small part of the entire fort yet it is quite impressive. (The fort encircled the old city with a radius of about 1.5km. Its base was said to have run as deep as its height) I must say that my forefathers did a splendid job as the fort was breached only once following its construction between 1512 to 1550s. Little did Alfonso know that the name he gave to the fort, 'A Famosa' or 'The Famous', would remain so for almost 500 years.
Work to reconstruct part of the excavated fort ruins has met with both agreement and opposition. My personal opinion, I am glad that it was done as it gives one a good idea and inkling of what Malacca's ancient must have looked liked between 1500s to 1807 when the fort was eventually blown up by the British.

As noted in earlier posts, I will reveal bit and parts of Malacca's fascinating history. So here goes...

Somewhere buried near the ruins of the excavated portion of the fort lies the remains of a Sumatran princess whose fell in love and eloped with a Portuguese nobleman from Malacca. The story of her life would certainly make a great novel.

It was documented that she was buried with much pomp in a solemn ceremony with the inscription 1576 placed in her coffin to signify the year of her death. Her name was Dona Helena and one of her sons would later rise to become a famous adventurer and cosmographer named Eredia.

Eredia would later go on to record what life was like in Malacca in the late 1500s in his book 'Description of Malacca-1613. The book, which was translated into English in the 1920s, offers an astonishingly accurate description of Malacca and its people and environment.

I have taken the liberty to post several photos of the excavated Dutch annex fort and a map of the what Malacca looked like during the Portuguese era in the late 1500s. (Note the Dutch annex is not present in the map as it was added on later by the Dutch after the captured the city in 1641) Also included is a photo of me and my buddy Jason at his Maritime Archeology Museum.

To None I Wish Ill But To All I Wish Peace and Love.