History

Early History of Alor Gajah

Alor Gajah is located 19 kilometres from Melaka city centre. Between 1832 to 1937, Alor Gajah was part of the district of Tampin, Negeri Sembilan before it fell into the hands of Melaka. The name ‘Alor Gajah’ is believed to originate from folk/old stories about the habits of a herd of elephants that were allegedly led by a white elephant. The herd of elephants were believed to be very fond of walking along a river creek. Hence, locals began to call this place Alor Gajah (Elephant’s Creek) and this name remains to this day.

According to historical accounts, Alor Gajah was first discovered by the Minangkabau people in the 12^th century. The mass migration of the Minangkabau population from the Tampin district during the Malacca Sultanate led to an establishment of a settlement. Since then, the area has become a thriving settlement with most of its residents working as farmers. During the reign of Datuk Naning Dol Said, trade activities had begun to flourish with the opening of shops and businesses. During the British occupation of Melaka, the city was also under British rule and it was included in the map of Melaka.

The Alor Gajah district, with an area of ​​66,302 hectares, has three towns and sixteen small towns. The towns are Pulau Sebang, Alor Gajah and Masjid Tanah. These major towns are surrounded by smaller towns such as Simpang Empat, Ramuan Cina Besar, Kuala Sungai Baru, Lubok Cina, Durian Tunggal, Simpang Gading, Pengkalan Balak, Brisu, Lendu, Kuala Linggi, Ramuan Cina Kecil and Rembia. All these towns and small towns are under the administration of the Alor Gajah Municipal Council.

-Source: Perbadanan Muzium Melaka (PERZIM)