A Famosa, Melaka

The surviving gate of the A Famosa fort in Melaka

A Famosa is a Portuguese fortress located in Malacca. It is among the oldest surviving European architectural remains in Asia. The Porta de Santiago, a small gate house, is the only remaining part of the fortress still standing. The fortress once consisted of long ramparts and four major towers. One was a four-story keep, while the others held an ammunition storage room, the residence of the captain, and an officers' quarters. Most of the village clustered in town houses inside the fortress walls. The fort changed hands in 1641 when the Dutch drove the Portuguese out of Malacca and renovated the gate in 1670. Above the arch is a bas-relief logo of the Dutch East India Company. The fortress changed hands again in the early 19th century when the Dutch handed it over to the British to prevent it from falling into the hands of Napoleon's expansionist France. The English were wary of maintaining the fortification and ordered its destruction in 1806. The fort was almost totally demolished but  because of Sir Stamford Raffles, and of his passion for history, this small gate was spared from destruction.