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Smell some history at Malacca and George Town
Melaka and George Town are often listed on the top of any Malaysian holiday itinerary and match Kuala Lumpur in its popularity. And justifiably so. These two have been historic cities of the Straits of Malacca and the trading and cultural exchanges that took place here between the East and West Straits over 500 years is what has led to the development of these iconic places. I tell you why both of them are a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
Make sure you visit these historic sites on your next trip to Malaysia. Kuala Lumpur is connected to both places via bus—the preferred mode of transport here. You can even check www.redbus.my for added convenience.
Malacca has numerous historical places and buildings. In order to preserve those sites, numerous museums have been built to preserve those legacies. Most of the museums in the state are managed by Malacca Museum Corporation.
Museums in Malacca are Aborigines Museum, Agricultural Museum, Al-Quran Museum, Baba Nyonya Heritage Museum, Beauty Museum, Cheng Ho Cultural Museum, Chitty Museum, Customs Department Museum, Democratic Government Museum, Education Museum, Forestry Museum, Governor's Museum, History and Ethnography Museum, Islamic Museum, Kite Museum, Literature Museum, Malacca Sultanate Palace Museum, Malay and Islamic World Museum, Malaysia Architecture Museum, Maritime Museum, Navy Museum, People's Museum, Prison Museum, Pulau Besar Museum, Stamp Museum, Straits Chinese Jewellery Museum, Submarine Museum, Toy Museum, Tradition and Custom Museum, UMNO Museum, World's Bees Museum and Youth Museum.
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Brilliant examples of multicultural trading that carried mercantile exchanges between Malay and Chinese, Indian and European cultures.
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The towns have developed significantly over the last 500 years since the exchanges began and the change has been complementary to the trading successes.
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They have built a life that bears a testimony to the multi-cultural influences and traditions of the regions they traded with. This is not only seen in the architecture of the place, but in the religious institutions of different faiths, traditions, languages, music, food, art, etc.
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The townscape demonstrated by both towns is unparalleled anywhere else in East and South Asia, especially taking into account the large number of shop houses and town houses that dot their landscape.
