A Famosa (Porta de Santiago)
Kota A Famosa
The only surviving gate of the fortress built by the Portuguese in 1511, the Porta de Santiago. It is one of the oldest European architectural remains in Asia and a symbol of Malacca.
A Famosa (Portuguese for 'The Famous') is the fortress built after Portuguese commander Afonso de Albuquerque captured Malacca in 1511. Its walls once enclosed the entire St. Paul's Hill, with churches, palaces and warehouses inside. The Dutch seized it in 1641 and repaired it. The gate still bears the emblem of the Dutch East India Company (VOC) and the year 1670. When the British prepared to abandon Malacca in 1806, they ordered it demolished, but Raffles, the later founder of Singapore, intervened and saved this Porta de Santiago gate. Today the remains are a granite gate and a short section of wall, which you can see in a few minutes, but it is the image most often shown on Malacca postcards. Nearby, the foot of St. Paul's Hill lies beside the gate. Across the road are the Independence Memorial Hall (the former Malacca Club, free admission) and the reconstructed Malacca Sultan's Palace museum, a wooden replica with admission of about RM 10. Further east, you can ride the rotating observation tower Menara Taming Sari for a view over the whole city. Visiting tips: link it with Dutch Square and St. Paul's Hill to make a one-hour walking route. The gate is free, and the best photo times are early morning or evening side light. Notes: there is little shade around the gate, so it gets very hot at noon. It sits beside a major intersection, so watch for traffic when crossing the road.
Opening hours
All day
Nearby sights
- St. Paul's Church
- Melaka Sultanate Palace Museum
- Proclamation of Independence Memorial
- Dutch Square (Stadthuys)
- Menara Taming Sari
- St. Francis Xavier's Church
- Cheng Ho Cultural Museum
- Maritime Museum (Flor de la Mar)