MELAKA WORLD HERITAGE PROPERTY

Convention Concerning of the

World Cultural and Natural Heritage

THE GENERAL CONFERENCE of the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization meeting in Paris from 17 October to 21 November 1972, at its seventeenth session.

Noting that the cultural heritage and the natural heritage are increasingly threatened with destruction not only by the traditional causes of decay, but also by changing social and economic conditions which aggravate the situation with even more formidable phenomena of damage or destruction, has decided to and adopted the Convention Concerning the Protection of the World Cultural and Natural Heritage. Malaysia ratified the Convention and became the State Party on December 7, 1988. The Convention sets out the duties of States Parties in identifying potential sites and their role in protecting and preserving them. By signing the Convention, each country pledges to conserve not only the World Heritage sites situated on its territory, but also to protect its national heritage. Melaka and George Town are Malaysia’s first cultural sites inscribed on the World Heritage List.

                  Melaka and George Town

                  World Heritage Inscription

This serial World Heritage Properties includes two historic cities in the Straits of Malacca : Melaka and George Town. Both Melaka and George Town are port towns located on the west of Peninsular Malaysia, by the Straits of Malacca which runs between Malaysia and the island of Sumatra, Indonesia. This has through the ages been one of the most strategic and important commercial waterways in the world. Melaka and George Town, historic cities of the Straits of Malacca have developed over 600 years of trading and cultural exchanges between East and West in the Straits of Malacca. The influences of Asia and Europe have endowed the towns with a specific multicultural heritage that is both tangible and intangible. Melaka and George Town, Malaysia, are remarkable examples of historic colonial towns on the Straits of Malacca that demonstrate a succession of historical and cultural influences arising from their former function as trading ports linking East and West. These are the most complete surviving historic city centres on the Straits of Malacca with a multi-cultural living heritage originating from the trade routes from Great Britain and Europe through the Middle East, the Indian subcontinent and the Malay Archipelago to China.

The whole historic inner city of Melaka and George Town have been listed as a World Heritage Site since July 7, 2008 recognized as a place of outstanding value by the World Heritage Committee for its roles as a setting for social history, multiculturalism, town-planning and architecture. The World Heritage inscription under the ‘Convention Concerning the Protection of the World Cultural and Natural Heritage’ validates the outstanding universal value of the two cities as places with outstanding cultural assets.

Map : 1677 Dutch Town Plan of Melaka

The World Heritage Property comprises the original fortress town from the 15th century Malay Sultanate, Portuguese and Dutch Period. The area for the buffer zone includes the old commercial area developed during British period after the demolition of the city wall in 1807, and part of the area reclaimed in 1920s and 1970s. The whole site of Bukit Cina (Chinese Hill) old cemetery has been included as buffer for it historical link with the ancient history of Melaka Sultanate. The Buffer also extended to the sea to give contact of the Old Melaka with the sea as it former function as a major port of the Straits of Malacca.

 Picture : Melaka World Heritage Property and the Buffer Zone.

The Site corresponds to the oldest part of the historic center of Melaka, including the Melaka River that passes through the Site, and encompasses a number of national listed monuments within the area of protected townscape reflecting the original character of Old Melaka.

Although the World Heritage Property of Melaka is smaller than George Town, the area cover the entire footprint of Old Melaka, and includes the elements necessary to understand the Property’s significance. It consist of complete area of St. Paul’s Hill, which has through history contained the civic functions, and the larger Historic Residential and Commercial Area where the built environment gives a whole and intact impression, with all the needed elements to express the multicultural identity. What has disappeared is the relation with the sea since the old harbor area has been reclaimed. However the Melaka River gives some contact with the sea. 

The World Heritage Listing

To be included on the World Heritage List, sites must be of outstanding universal value and meet at least one out of ten selection criteria. These criteria are explained in the Operational Guidelines for the Implementation of the World Heritage Conventionwhich, besides the text of the Convention, is the main working tool on World Heritage. Melaka and George Town, historic cities of the Straits of Malacca met 3 out of the 6 criteria for cultural sites which are criterion (ii), (iii) & (iv).

Criterion (ii):to exhibit an important interchange of human values, over a span of time or within a cultural area of the world, on developments in architecture or technology, monumental arts, town-planning or landscape design;

Picture : Bird’s eye view of Old Melaka

Melaka and George Town represent exceptional examples of multi-cultural trading towns in East and Southeast Asia, forged from the mercantile and exchanges of Malay, Chinese, and Indian cultures and three successive European colonial powers for almost 500 years, each with its imprints on the architecture and urban form, technology and monumental art. Both towns show different stages of development and the successive changes over a long span of time and are thus complementary.

Criterion (iii):to bear a unique or at least exceptional testimony to a cultural tradition or to a civilization which is living or which has disappeared;

Pictures : Melaka boasts of having a multi-cultural population since the ancient time, and each community still retains its own distinctiveness. The various communities that practice different religious beliefs and adhere to different cultural norms, yet co-exist as one, have become the prime assets of the nation. These are represented by both tangible and intangible manifestations that take the form of the built environment and the living cultures.

Melaka and George Town are living testimony to the multi-cultural heritage and tradition of Asia, and European colonial influences. This multi-cultural tangible and intangible heritage is expressed in the great variety of religious buildings of different faiths, ethnic quarters, the many languages, worship and religious festivals, dances, costumes, art and music, food, and daily life.

Criterion (iv):to be an outstanding example of a type of building, architectural or technological ensemble or landscape which illustrates (a) significant stage(s) in human history;

Picture : Melaka Town Houses

Melaka become enclaves of western and eastern architecture. Some type of architecturesuch as shophouses and town houses may be found in other towns in Malaysia and in this region, but not all of them in one assemblage, and early town houses only unique to Melaka.

Melaka and George Town reflect a mixture of influences which have created a unique architecture, culture and townscape without parallel anywhere in East and South Asia. In particular, they demonstrate an exceptional range of shophouses and townhouses. These buildings show many different types and stages of development of the building type, some originating in the Dutch or Portuguese periods.

Melaka World Heritage Property

Pictures : Historic inner city of George Town (right) and Old Melaka (left).

This serial World Heritage Properties includes two historic cities in the Straits of Malacca: Melaka and George Town. The World Heritage Property in the Historic City of Melaka covers 38.62ha and consist of two major areas on either side of the Melaka River, corresponding to the oldest part of the historic centre. The first is Saint Paul’s Hill enclave which was the former administrative area with a number of government buildings, museums, churches, urban square and the original fortress town from the 16^th century Portuguese and Dutch period. The second is the Historic Residential and Commercial Zone, which is twice as large, with more than 600 shophouses, commercial and residential buildings, religious buildings and the tombs of the Malay and Acehnese warriors. This residential area is built somewhat irregular grid plan, with four main streets parallel to the shore and four crossing streets. A traditional plot system with long and narrow plots has been preserved, which gives scale to the building and the character of the streets, this area shows great variety of architectural and cultural influences from many parts of Asia and Europe, which has been adapted to local conditions.

The townscape of Melaka is reminiscent of the medieval European cities which were designed to fit a society that was ruled by feudal lords, where streets were narrow and designed to confuse the enemy. This makes Melaka unique to the world as an example of a medieval townscape in this part of the region. The character of the Historic City of Melakais strengthened by the unique townscape qualities of the streets and the buildings that shaped the quality of space created by these streets. In comparison to other towns in Malaysia, Melaka's townscape is quite distinctive in character because of its sense of enclosure and mixture of houses, shops and places of worship.

Melaka Values As World Heritage Site

1. From historical point of view, Melaka illustrates the development of maritime urban settlements in the region and the contribution of diverse ethnic and cultural groups in the layering of the present city.
2. The urban layout of Melaka historic urban center illustrates the application of European geometric patterns to settlements in Asia, with local characteristics such as the long narrow plots for shophouses and town houses.
3. The architecture of Melaka World Heritage Site illustrates diverse periods and trends, including Muslim, Indian, Chinese, Portuguese, Dutch and British legacies.
4. The collection of shophouses, exhibiting different architectural styles, is one of the main features of the properties and is extremely rich when compared with other towns in the wider region.
5. Intangible heritage related to the tangible components is an important feature, illustrating the fusion of different ethnic communities that generate a specific cultural identity.
   
   
   
   
   
   
   Description of Melaka World Heritage Sites
   
   
   
   
   Saint Paul’s Hill Old Administrative Area
   
   
   
   
   
   St. Paul’s Hill Civic Zone has always been the seat of the governing bodies from the time Melaka was founded to very recently. The establishment of a kingdom at the locality was due to its commanding position facing the river mouth and the Straits of Malacca and protected from the interior by a vast swampy area. Known as Bukit Melaka during the Malay Sultanate era, it’s been a royal abode as well as the seat of power of the Sultans. The Portuguese simply called the area as ‘Oiteiro’ or Hill. They built a fortress around this hill, which was completed in 1548 and stayed within the walls. On top of it, they also built among other things a church. The Dutch, who took over the church, turned it into a Protestant church and named it St. Paul’s Church. The hill was renamed St. Paul’s Hill and remained so ever since. The hill also continued to be the seat of power of the British-Melaka government and the state government of independent Melaka.
   
   
   Within the St. Paul’s Hill Civic Zone there are many historical buildings and monuments around the Hill and urban square established and built either by the Portuguese, the Dutch or the British that have been preserved and remain unchanged. Mainly located on Kota Road (Jalan Kota), Laxamana Road (JalanLaksamana), on St. Paul’s Hill or around the Town Square, these buildings are fine evidence of long established colonial powers in Melaka.
   
   
   
   
   
   The Town Square
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   The Town Square or locally referred to as the Dutch Square used to be the hub of the town since its earliest foundation. It housed the key buildings during the Dutch period in the form of the Stadthuys and the Christ Church with a fountain and clock tower at the center. The strategic location of the town square with its adjacent important public buildings such as Stadthuys, relects the significance of this area as the centre of the town. Since the beginning, the town started at the river mouth due to its port activities. Therefore, the hub of the town centre was at the site of the square due to its close proximity to the river mouth. This square has not been altered since the Dutch period except for the resurfacing of its roads. The composition of the buildings in the square reflects the character of the townscape typical of a European town, where the civic ambience of the place was heightened by the presence of major civic buildings.
   
   
   Leading to the Town Square is a parallel street to the river known as JalanLaksamana. This narrow street creates a strong sense of enclosure, with many of the buildings consisting of the traditional shop houses. The historical building located on the street is St. Francis Xavier Church, which is designed to resemble a Portuguese Church. The presence of a large church in the strategic part of the town center suggests the strong influence of the colonial rulers in the development of the city in the past.
   
   
   
   
   The Old Historic Residential and Commercial Area
   
   
   Picture : Roofscape of Melaka seeing from the garden of Dutch Governor’s Residence on St. Paul’s Hill. The minarets of Kampung Kling Mosque and kampong Hulu Mosque dominated the skyline.
   
   
   
   
   
   Picture : The 2010 picture of the roofscape of Melaka.
   
   
   The Melaka historic old residential and commercial zone was the most important residential area of the bygone era. It was formerly known as Banda Malaca or Upeh. The Bendahara or Prime Minister’s residence and the famous Melaka Bazaar were both located in the vicinity during the Malay Sultanate period. Some Malay timber town houses remain intact and the earlier types of shophouses and townhouses of Southeast Asia are only found here. These originated from a mixture of Asian, especially Chinese, influences and European traditions and developed into variety of types following new stylistic inputs. The Portuguese then change the racial composition of the settlement by locating those who supported them closer to the fortress (Fortaleza de Malacca). By the same token the Dutch did the same when they came to power. In addition, the Dutch also built two residential streets for the Dutch outside the fort, one for the rich and the other for the commoners, and named them as Heerenstraat and Jonkerstraat respectively. Among the locals this area was aptly called Kampong Blanda (Dutch Village).
   
   
   
   
   
   Picture : Kampong Blanda seeing from the site of Bastion Middelburg
   
   
   Other community quarters namely Kampong Kling (Indian Village), Kampong Hulu (Malay Village), Kampong Jawa (Javanese Village), Kampong Serani (Eurasian Village) and Kampong Cina (Chinese Village), which were established along racial lines still exist today but no longer reflect the racial composition of the populace. There area for different ethnic groups and social layers and for various functions or type of trade. This multicultural identity is manifested in both the tangible and intangible heritage. The naming of the streets according to the various artisans and workers that lived here such as goldsmiths, blacksmiths, coolie etc accentuates the character of medieval cities that tend to locate craftsmen and traders according to their guilds.
   
   
   
   Picture : Kampong Cina (Chinese Village) and Kampong Jawa (Javanese Village) sit on the bank of Melaka River where loading and unloading of goods were done at various jetties.
   
   
   
   
   
   Picture : Kampong Hulu (literally translated as ‘Village at Upper Stream’) located at the upper Melaka River at the edge of Kampong Cina and Kampong Jawa. This was the enclave of the Malays in the city, mostly involved in trading activities. The Kampung Hulu Mosque (1728) is one of the oldest surviving mosque in Malaysia.
   
   
   
   

Jalan Tun Tan Cheng Lock (Heeren Street)

JalanTun Tan Cheng Lockwas formerly known as Heerenstraat and was among the earliest streets built by the Dutch to accommodate their government officers and the upper class groups of the society. After the Dutch left the country at the end of 18^th century, these houses were occupied by the affluent Babas or Peranakan (mix breed of English educated Chinese and local girls' parentage). Their exquisite life style can still be seen today in the overwhelming ornate interior decoration and furniture used. The residential character of the street can still be seen with its narrow streets, ornate and richly decorated façade. Typical features of the buildings include footways filled with hand-painted and Wedgewood tiles, carved front doors surmounted by the family motto in gold calligraphy on a black lacquered board, Corinthian columns and opulent base with motifs of bats, phoenix, flowers and dragons. The flamboyant nature of these town houses reflects the affluence and luxurious life style of the original occupants. It was even dubbed as the 'millionaire's row' by the locals. Some prominent Babas from this area are Tan Kim Seng or Baba Kim Seng who was an early pioneer to venture Singapore, and established Kim Seng& Co., wholesalers and agents of European firms; Tan Chay Yan who was the Malayan’s first rubber planter in 1896; Ee Kong Guan who was a prominent tapioca and rubber planter, and first vice-president of Malacca Chinese Chamber of Commerce in 1912; Sir Tun Tan Cheng Lock, the co-founder of the Malayan Chinese Association in 1949. Heeren Street was renamed JalanTun Tan Cheng Lock in his honour in 1962. His son Tun Tan SiewSeng is Malaysian longest serving Finance Minister.

Jalan Hang Jebat (Jonker Street)

Jalan Hang Jebat was once called Jonkerstraat ('Young Noblemen's Street’) in Dutch. This is another street that was once inhabited by the more affluent group of the society. Many beautiful town houses belong to Peranakan merchants still line both sides of this bustling street. Throughout the 1800s, as Melaka’s Chinese population grew, then homes of wealthy and influential Chinese merchants began to redefine the street. Two large Chinese courtyard houses were once belong to KapitanCina who were the heads of local Chinese Communities. Jonker Street later became preferred address of huaykuan or Kongsi (Chinese Clan Associations), founded to provide assistance, protection and welfare to newly-arrived Singkeh or the Settlement immigrants. Another prominence building dated 1735 was the former Dutch boomkantor (tax office) which later became the office and ice factory of Melaka Atlas Ice company. The presence of the antique shops that sell many of the antique goods of the past period reflects the historical significance of the street. One of the oldest antique outlets in this street belongs to the Kuthy family, which was one of the prominent Indian families in Melaka. The late T.J Kuthy, an Indian Muslim from Kerala, started the first Jonker Street junk shop in 1936. There is an intimate and homely atmosphere about the street due to its narrowness which gives a sense of enclosure and rich sensory experience from the smell of cooking that exudes from the kitchen and restaurants nearby.

JalanTukang Besi, Jalan Tukang Emas & JalanTokong

These Streets of Harmony earlier known as Kampong Kling (Indian Village) on Portuguese and Dutch period town plan. JalanTukangEmas(Goldsmith Road) JalanTukangBesiBlacksmith Road) and JalanTokong(Temple Street) also known as Three Temples Street during the British period as it is renowned for many religious places of worship. The street names, which took after the craftsmen of old Melaka, reflected the importance of this area as the once artisan streets for the city. Tinsmith, blacksmith, cobblers, coffin-makers, paper artisan and basket weavers still ply their trades here. The unique feature of the streets is the presence of three different types of places of worship namely; The Masjid Kampong Kling, the Kovil Sri PoyyathaVinayagarMoorthi and Cheng HoonTeng Temple. Although the area is now predominantly occupied by Chinese, the presence of an Indian mosque, the Indian temple, and a Tamil church suggests that this area was once lived by a predominantly multi ethnic Indian community such as Chetty, Tamil, Malabar and Gujaratis that was able to live harmoniously with the Chinese, Malays, Javanese and Eurasian.

Picture : Harmony Street, 2010.

JalanKampungPantai (KampungPantei Road)

JalanKampungPantai is the street that runs parallel to the river and accommodates many wholesalers, go downs and stores. In addition to that, there are also many traditional retailers selling sundries goods and items used for worship. This area between Kampong Kling and the Melaka River was demarcated as Kampong Cina (Chinese Village) on the Dutch period map. This is a street that acts as physical evidence to the role of Melaka played in the past as a port and trading post. In the past, the river was the main means of communication and thus goods that arrived via ships and boats were unloaded and stored in buildings nearby. Today, the loading and unloading activities still occur on this street which is congested with lorries and trucks from the wholesalers' activities. This street also displays the character of a medieval street that opens up to a square addressing a Chinese temple. A narrow lane (LorongJambatan) links up this Chinese temple with a tiny mosque at Kampong Jawa (Javanese Village) on the other side of the river. There are several other narrow lanes that link this street to the river that suggest the close relationship between the activities on this street and the river in the past.