|
A tremendously exciting find has been unearthed in Malacca. We may have found the remains of Santiago Bastion, which according to our records was located on the southern part of the Malacca Fort. The Bastion, one of four from the original structure was thought to have been destroyed by the British in 1807 when they sought to protect their position in Malacca.
Santiago Bastion?
The structure was unearthed during the construction of a commercial mall called the Dataran Pahlawan Project. The site of the Malacca Fort has always been well known to the people in Malacca who used to play there when they were children but no one would have suspected the existence of such an intact structure capable of telling us its story from the “grave”.
Etching of Malacca Fort circa 1789
JMA to the rescue
In fact we owe this amazing find to the Department of Museums and Antiquities (JMA) who started an initial rescue excavation to salvage any significant artifacts prior to the commencement of the mall project. Who knew the impending treasure they were to unearth? Over the course of 3 years and phases; and in collaboration with several parties from the Malacca Museum Corporation (PERZIM), Industrial Archaeology Unit to the Historical Archaeology Unit, they have managed to unearth a substantial length of the Fort’s laterite wall which is still intact and in relatively good condition.
Hitting the mother lode
During one of their excavation phases, which ran from 18 June to 3 August 2003, a rounded structure was uncovered. Discovered at a depth of 5m, the structure is located along the laterite wall at the northern extremity of Padang Pahlawan. The excavation has revealed that there are at least 3 styles of construction, as well as differing sizes of laterite blocks; suggesting that it was built over a period of years, if not centuries. They have also found several other structures within the rounded structure which could well have been the guardrooms, wells and stables.
The long haul
Despite the initial excitement, much more work and research still needs to be done as there are too many missing pieces to the puzzle.
However, if this truly is the Santiago Bastion, then this surely will rank as one of the most significant archaeological discoveries in the region; one to rival the discovery of the Intramuros Fort in Manila, Philippines or the Cochin fort in Goa, India.
|
Page 1 | 2
| 3
