Melaka is a city frozen in time -- bypassed by the captains of industrialization, over shadowed by more popular tourist destinations in the region. The city has descended from its status as the capital of pre-colonial trade to a sleepy backward of Malaysian society. Somewhere along that route, it has become one of the most overlooked and under-rated destinations in Southeast Asia.
Melaka was founded in about 1390 by a Malay prince named Parameswara (pronounced: Pah-rah-m^-swah-rah). His family had previously ruled on of the most powerful and longest lasting kingdoms in history: Sri Vijaya. To give you some idea of the strength of this heritage, the Malay Empire of Sri Vijaya has lasted 640 years and ruled much of Southeast Asia; by comparison, the British Empire lasted only 300 years, China's Han Dynasty 426 years, the Roman Empire 541 years, and the Ottoman Empire 592 years. Many historians consider Melaka to be a continuation or successor to Sri Vijaya.
Sri Vijaya was in decline when Parameswara was driven from his capital in the Sumatran city of Palambang by a Javanese army. He fled first to Singapore and then moved on to Melaka to reestablish himself. The resulting kingdom became a bottleneck for Chinese silk and Indonesian spice on its way to Europe and the Middle East.
Melaka's position on the Straits of Malacca made the port a rich kingdom. Gujarati and Arab merchants came to buy the products of China and Indonesia and carried them away to sell to the French and Italians. Melaka became powerful and wealthy.
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