Malacca City (
Jawi:
Tamil: மலாக்கா மாநகரம்), formerly known as
Kota Melaka, is the
capital city of the Malaysian state of
Malacca. It had a population of 484,885 as of 2010. It is
one of the Malaysian oldest cities in the
Straits of Malacca with the other being
Alor Setar and
George Town, having become a successful
entrepôt during the era of the
Malacca Sultanate. The present-day city was founded by
Parameswara, a Sumatran prince who had escaped to the
Malay Peninsula when
Srivijaya fell to the
Majapahit. Following the establishment of the Malacca Sultanate, it drew the attention of traders from the
Middle East,
South Asia and
East Asia, as well as the Portuguese, who intended to dominate the trade route in
Asia. After Malacca was conquered by
Portugal, it became an area of conflict when the sultanates of
Aceh and
Johor began to attempt to take control from the Portuguese.