Walk down the hill to Jl Kota, where the last remnants of the Portuguese occupation can be found.
The street of Jl Kota traces out where the walls of the Portuguese fort A Famosa used to be; all that remains of the walls is a single gate, what we now know as Porta de Santiago.
A Famosa was built by the occupying Portuguese forces in 1512. The Portuguese employed hundreds of slaves to build the fortress walls, and scavenged stone from nearby palaces, cemeteries, and mosques to complete the structure. Later, the fort was expanded to enclose nearby European settlements, transforming A Famosa into a fully functional European Christian city.
When the Dutch took over, they added the date of their conquest ("Anno 1670") and the crest of the Dutch East India Company above the gate. The fortress was handed over to the British in the early 19th century, to protect the city from the depredations of Napoleonic France.
The British decided to demolish the fort - they argued that the fort would be a dangerous place for the British if it were to fall into enemy hands. They would have completely succeeded had Sir Stanford Raffles not decided to stop the destruction. While he has too late to prevent the destruction of the majority of the walls, he did manage to save Porta Santiago from obliteration.
These days, Chinese couples pose for their wedding photos in front of Porta de Santiago, supposedly to ensure that their marriages will last as long as the gate.
To view the route in its entirety, click here: Map of Historical Melaka Walking Tour
