Malacca’s Glorious Past
Malacca’s history began in 1403 with the arrival of Parameswara, an exiled Hindu Prince from the Kingdom of Sri Vijaya in Sumatra. He assumed the title of Raja Iskandar when he embraced Islam and became the first ruler of the Malacca Sultanate.
In time, Malacca gained prominence as a vibrant maritime trading centre and was coveted by the several foreign powers. The Portuguese les by Alfonso d’Albuquerque conquered Malacca in 1511 and colonized it for 130 years. The Dutch then came in 1641 and ruled for 154 years. They were followed by the British in 1824 who ruled until the country gained its independence. Malacca also experienced Japanese Occupation from 1942 to 1945. After World War Two, nationalistic sentiments began to spread, culminating in the proclamation of independence on the 31st of August 1957.
Modern Malacca set on a course of industrial development about two decades after independence and forges ahead in its vision to be a fully industrialized state by the year 2010.
