Malaqa House

Walking around the streets to Melaka is a real pleasure. Since its designation as a UNESCO World Heritage site, a lot of the Mekala’s old houses have been carefully restored and some turned into shops, others museums. The Malaqa House falls into both of these categories. Actually I guess they would fall more into shops rather than a museum. The outside of the buildings has an elegant design with the name prominently displayed.

Interestingly, it is okay for visitors to just walk around the shop and explore what they have to offer. Much unlike other commercial establishments, they allow photography. There was a lone person manning the store. I guess not a lot of people really come to buy their stuff. However, if someone does come and buy, it would help the get through a couple of weeks.

Much of what is on display are antique furniture which may or may not be related to the Peranakan culture. A lot of the stuff on sale are quite interesting as it shows how the people of that era lived. As I walked through the shophouse I reached the end of the store. Apparently people still live here as there was a dining area at the end. Naturally, I turned back realizing that was the private section of the shop.

It is quite impressive to see how large a shophouse like this is. It is large enough to have a second floor and even house a small garden inside. There is small courtyard which provides a little space inside the house itself. Upstairs are yet more furniture, including a few paintings of a few famous people such as Chiang Kai Shek, Mikhail Gorbachev and of course Singapore’s Lee Kwan Yew.

The Malaqa Hosue was a satisfactory replacement for the Baba Nyonya Heritage Museum which was unfortunately closed. I still managed to get a glimpse of the Peranaka culture by exploring this interesting little shop.

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