Santiago BastionSantiago Bastion (19 July, 2009)


Santiago Bastion (GPS: 2.1913, 102.24993), (Malay: Bastion Santiago; Portuguese: Baluerte de Santiago) is one of the bastions of Fortaleza de Malaca. Originally built by the Portuguese after it took over Malacca in 1511, the Santiago Bastion fell into the hands of the Dutch in 1641.

The Dutch repaired and strengthened it, but under the British, it was systematically demolished. The order to demolish the fort was carried out by William Farquhar in 1807, but when Stamford Raffles learned about the demolition, he managed to stop the action, through a strongly worded letter to Lord Minto.

Although the upper portion of the Santiago Bastion was destroyed, its foundation remains intact. This remains buried until 2002, when is was discovered during the construction of Warriors' Square (Padang Pahlawan). It is next to a sea wall erected by the British to check coastal erosion. The sea wall was built using stones salvaged from the ruins of the Malacca Fortress. With the discovery of the Santiago Bastion, construction of Padang Pahlawan was altered so as to preserve the remains.

The Museum & Antiquity Department initiated an excavation of the Santiago Bastion site in 2003, with the intention of locating the circle of laterite walls that form the foundation of the bastion. While some parts of it was found, the rest was hindered by the heap of ruins. The next phase of excavation was carried out in 2005, and systematic documentation was made of what was uncovered. Archaeologists were pleased to find that the circular wall of stones forming the foundation of Santiago Bastion was still there, but excavation came to an end due to water filling up the excavation area.

360° View of Santiago Bastion on Google Maps Street View

Santiago Bastion

Santiago Bastion is on the Map of Fortaleza de Malaca



Santiago BastionRemains of Santiago Bastion within Fortaleza de malaca (19 July, 2009)


Santiago BastionSantiago Bastion (19 July, 2009)

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Hello and thanks for reading this page. My name is Timothy and my hobby is in describing places so that I can share the information with the general public. My website has become the go to site for a lot of people including students, teachers, journalists, etc. whenever they seek information on places, particularly those in Malaysia and Singapore. I have been doing this since 5 January 2003, for over twenty years already. You can read about me at Discover Timothy. By now I have compiled information on thousands of places, mostly in Peninsular Malaysia and Singapore, and I continue to add more almost every day. My goal is to describe every street in every town in Malaysia and Singapore.

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