A Famosa was a Portuguese fortress built in Malacca, Malaysia, circa 1512. The oldest part of the fortress was a five-storey keep which eventually gave its name to the fortress as a whole. Some time following the Battle of Malacca (1641) and the occupation of the city by the Dutch, the keep was destroyed but the outer walls of the fortress were expanded. However, in 1811 the British destroyed all of the original fortress and most of the outer walls. The Porta de Santiago gateway, and the rebuilt Middelburg Bastion, are the only parts of the fortress that remain today.
The surviving gate of the Portuguese fort in Malacca.
A view of the gate of the fort from the rear.
Reconstruction of watchtower on top of the unearthed remains
Malacca sanitary sewer line ruin
Malacca, officially the Historic State of Malacca, is a state in Malaysia located in the southern region of the Malay Peninsula, facing the Strait of Malacca. The state is bordered by Negeri Sembilan to the north and west and Johor to the south. The exclave of Tanjung Tuan also borders Negeri Sembilan to the north. Its capital is Malacca City, which has been listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 7 July 2008. Malacca City is 148 kilometres southeast of Malaysia's capital city Kuala Lumpur, 235 kilometres northwest of Johor's largest city Johor Bahru and 95 km northwest of Johor's second largest city, Batu Pahat.
Malacca Sultanate Palace Museum, modern reconstruction of the palace of the Malacca Sultanate.
The construction of the Bastion Middelburg was carried out in 1660 under the Dutch colonization of Malacca, it is strategically located at the mouth of Malacca River
Dutch Malacca, c. 1750
Malacca River 1907, Church of St. Francis Xavier in the background