The Melaka Museum of Islam was set up to be not only a
display centre of documents and artifacts pertaining to Islam but also to be a
centre for research into the coming of Islam into Melaka and its subsequent spread
to the rest of Malaysia.
The Melaka Museum of Islam is located at a building in Jalan
Kota which used to house the office of the Melaka Islamic Council ( Majlis Agama
Islam Melaka - MAIM). To house the museum the interior of the building was
renovated extensively to reflect the glory splendor of Islam. The renovation
efforts combined the finest traditions of Islamic art and local and regional
craftsmanship.
The Melaka Museum of Islam has eight main exhibition areas,
each with its own theme. The exhibits are arranged in chronological order to
give visitors a quick historical perspective of the coming of Islam to Melaka
and its spread to the rest of Malaysia.
Amongs the exhibits are outsized editions of the Quran, some
with enlarged Arabic characters as much as four of fives inches broad, a
striking copy in Mandarin and a hand written copy. Also displayed are periodic
books publish on Islam. Another section exhibits Islamic artifacts such as a
twenty-inch keris display box minutely inscribed with Quranic verses, coins and
weaponry intricately worked with khat calligraphy and Islamic inscriptions from
the Quran.
There is also a round porcelain plate of Dutch origin
decorated with Islamic inscription that pertains to the Dutch occupation.
Exhibits also include several paintings of the older mosques in Melaka
including the Peringgit Mosque, built in 1720. Standing unobstrusively in the
Museum compound is an inscribed stone in Arabic that provides the first record
of Islam being the official religion of a Malay rulers in the Peninsula during
the 13th century. A flood unearthed the two feet high stone found in a place 32
miles from Kuala Terengganu in 1902.
Another stone in the compound is said to
be the tombstone of an Islamic ruler, Sultan Malik Al' Salih who died in 1297.
It was found in Pasai, Aceh in the neighboring island of Sumatra. The museum was built to portray Islam as Ad-Din (the true
and righteous spiritual path to salvation) and the glory of Islamic
Civilization and to encourage a greater understanding of Islamic knowledge and
be a resource centre for researchers and scholars studying the history of
Melaka and Islam.
The museum also showcase the role of Melaka in the history of
Islam in the region and Melaka's ancient links with other centers of Islamic
civilization in places such as India, China, Arabia and other parts of South
East Asia.
Operating Hours
Open daily: 9.00am to 5.30pm
Closed on Monday
The Melaka Islamic Museum,
Melaka Museums Corporation,
Jalan Kota, 75000 Melaka.
Tel: 06 282 2973
Fax: 06 282 6745
Email: admin@perzim.gov.my
Website : www.perzim.gov.my
