Fresh from our night at the exclusive Treasures Hotel and Suites and a nyonya breakfast served, we made our way back to the Memorial Pengisytiharan Kemerdekaan for our visit to Muzium Istana Kesultanan Melaka.
Melaka is one of the states in Malaysia that is without any royal house even though once upon a time, the royal house of Melaka prospered from 1400 until the last Sultan of Melaka, Sultan Mahmud retreated from Melaka after the invasion of the Portuguese in 1511.
It is difficult to brush aside the significance of the Melaka sultanate that emerged as the capital of a great Malay empire, chief centre of trade in Indian cloth, Chinese porcelain and silk and Malay spices. It also became the centre for Islamic learning and culture exchange. With the untimely ending of the glorious Melaka sultanate more than 500 years ago, the Muzium Istana Kesultanan Melaka which opened its door to the public on 2008 would be the place to go to catch a glimpse of the glory of defunct Melaka sultanate.
Muzium Istana Kesultanan Melaka
The building that houses Muzium Istana Kesultanan Melaka is a reconstruction of istana of Sultan Mansur Syah built around 1465. The Malay Annals and Hikayat Awang Sulong Merah Muda describe the structure and decor of the palace of Sultan Mansur Syah. The palace usually consisted of a throne room, a suite of bedrooms, the royal treasury, the kitchen, the dining hall and royal recreation area for the Sultan’s exclusive use. The size of the palace depended on the Sultan and the state’s wealth.
Our arrival to Muzium Istana Kesultanan Melaka was greeted no less like a royal. Persatuan Cahaya De’lima performed the traditional Malay martial arts known as silat sendeng balam, starting from solo performance to group performance and mock fight using keris. Keris is a distinct dagger carved in meticulous detail and made from metal, precious types of wood, gold or ivory. Keris is also a symbol of Malay nationalism.
Pak Sheikh Abdullah Sani and Paduka Ayahanda Zainal formed Persatuan Cahaya De’lima to preserve their forefathers’ cultural heritage. The association trains youngsters to perform in numerous cultural performances such as gamelan or barongan, silat, zapin, dondang sayang. Pak Sheikh is also the familiar face in Perkampungan Hang Tuah, which I have visited many years back.
Next, Pak Sheikh invited 2 male and 2 females from the media to show off their silat skills. Apparently, Pak Sheikh made the news previously for his ability to produce diamonds and precious stones from his mouth. Something I find hard to digest but having seen it for myself, I do not know what to say still. Lina, Izzaz, Otto and Marc (our silat warriors) gave a hilarious performance which I really enjoyed watching. They followed the moves of the silat master to their best ability and the favourite move was when Izzaz had to sweep the floor like a pendekar.
Do watch the silat performance below:-
To enter Muzium Istana Kesultanan Melaka, we had to take off our shoes. Just like how one is expected to do before entering any Malay house.
Our Tourism Malaysia Media Challenge 2.0 started right after we were briefed by Puan Ruhaiza Zawawi, the curator of PERZIM. Again, we were handed a set of questions based on the exhibition display in the museum. After answering all questions, we were tasked to play the congkak, capteh and tuju tin. I didn’t score points for Capteh.
Muzium Seni Bina Malaysia
From Muzium Istana Kesultanan Melaka, we walked to Muzium Seni Bina Melaka also known as Malaysia Architectural Museum for another round of Media Challenge. The museum was established in 2004 with the main objective to exhibit diversity and uniqueness of Malaysian architectural heritage. The museum is housed in a two-storey building which was built in the 1700s during the Dutch colonial period in Melaka. The building was known as the “Red Building”.
You may wonder what is so interesting about architecture that it deserves a museum? Architecture describes the civilisation of a nation. It is through the architecture of a nation that people can discover the level of physical and technological progress. Some of the pioneers who designed the national landmarks are Hijjas Kasturi, Dato’ Dr Ikhmal Hisham Albakri, Datuk Seri Lim Chong Keat, Datuk Baharuddin Abu Kassim, Datuk Kington Loo. Some of the known masters of woodcarving in Malaysia are Wan Mustafa Wan Su, Hj Wan Su, Othman, Abdul Latif Long, Norhaiza Nordin and Nik Rashiddin Nik Hussein.
The earliest development of Malaysian Architecture was only detected in the early 1st century AD by the discovery of Bujang Valley and Sungai Mas, also known as the Kedah Tua Kingdom. Evidence from the ruins found in Bujang Valley shows the presence of Hindu and Buddhism influence. The emergence of Islam has given a great impact on the lifestyle and culture of Malay society especially in the architectural context. The traditional Malaysia houses are also projected the ideas of aesthetic, emotional and spiritual. For example, the adaption of three layer cosmos concept had divided the Malay houses into three parts, namely kolong (ground level), badan rumah (body of the house) and bumbung (roof). The traditional Malay houses are also unique as they were made in different designs and styles such as Rumah Bumbung Panjang, Rumah Minangkabau, Rumah Bumbung Lima, Rumah Perabung Lima, Rumah Potong Perak and Rumah Kutai.
The Malaysian Architectural Museum also highlights the elements of belief adopted by different races of Malaysia in architecture. You can find various interesting collection such as Carved Wall Panel from Kelantan, model of Terengganu traditional house, Melaka Chinese Shop House, door carved with floral motives and calligraphy.
Muzium Seni Bina Malaysia
No. 1 and 3, Jalan Kota,
75000 Melaka.
Opening hours: 9am to 5pm daily.
Closed for first day of Aidilfitri and Aidiladha.
Restoran Lot Lapan Lima
Said to be one of the best places to enjoy the delicious asam pedas of Melaka, we had the chance to try it ourselves after the media challenge ended for the day. From the look of the restaurant, parking space is plenty. However, we were there during the weekdays. Since we came as a group, food was served on the table instead of having to choose them from the dish trays. The asam pedas turned out to be so good.
Some of the selections available for the day:-
Address: Jalan Putri Hang Li Poh, Kampung Durian Daun Dalam, 75400 Melaka
Opening hours: Monday to Saturday (9.00am – 5.00pm)
Closed on Sunday.
Cendol Mission in Melaka
While resting in our comfy room at the Treasures Hotel and Suites, someone from the Whatsapp group shared about this best cendol everyone has try located just in front of the hotel. Few of us bloggers agreed to check out this famous cendol place. We looked for a dessert cafe or a small stall selling cendol. What we did not know was we had to place our order at the counter of a souvenir shop by the name of Pusat Pengeluaran Tan Kim Hock and shown to a random sitting area at the back of the shop.
We ordered durian cendol and they came in thick gula melaka. The gula melaka syrup made Tan Kim Hock cendol special. If you don’t mind the random sitting at a souvenir shop, Tan Kim Hock cendol is recommended!
You can also shop for all kind of souvenirs including Melaka palm sugar and durian confectioneries at Pusat Pengeluaran Tan Kim Hock.
Tan Kim Hock Product Centre
Jalan Bendahara, Kampung Jawa, 75100 Melaka
Open everyday from 9.00am – 6.00pm
The 3D2N Media Challenge 2.0 was made possible by the invitation of Tourism Malaysia in collaboration with the Department of Museums, Malaysia.
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