Maubara is a village in Maubara Subdistrict ( Liquiçá District,

East Timor East Timor (), also known as Timor-Leste (), officially the Democratic Republic of Timor-Leste, is an island country in Southeast Asia. It comprises the eastern half of the island of Timor, the exclave of Oecusse on the island's north-w ...

), just west of the city of Liquiçá. Most of the inhabitants speak Tocodede. It lies near the Maubara Important Bird Area, encompassing the small coastal Lake Maubara.

History

During the beginning of the Portuguese occupation, it was taken by the

Netherlands ) , anthem = ( en, "William of Nassau") , image_map = , map_caption = , subdivision_type = Sovereign state , subdivision_name = Kingdom of the Netherlands , established_title = Before independence , established_date = Spanish Netherl ...

. There is a historic

Dutch Dutch commonly refers to: * Something of, from, or related to the Netherlands * Dutch people () * Dutch language () Dutch may also refer to: Places * Dutch, West Virginia, a community in the United States * Pennsylvania Dutch Country People E ...

fort A fortification is a military construction or building designed for the defense of territories in warfare, and is also used to establish rule in a region during peacetime. The term is derived from Latin ''fortis'' ("strong") and ''facere'' ...

, located at the entrance to the village on the seaside overlooking the bay. Later,

Portugal Portugal, officially the Portuguese Republic ( pt, República Portuguesa, links=yes ), is a country whose mainland is located on the Iberian Peninsula of Southwestern Europe, and whose territory also includes the Atlantic archipelagos of th ...

negotiated with Holland and regained the site in a trade for

Flores Flores is one of the Lesser Sunda Islands, a group of islands in the eastern half of Indonesia. Including the Komodo Islands off its west coast (but excluding the Solor Archipelago to the east of Flores), the land area is 15,530.58 km2, and t ...

in 1851, which was occupied by the Portuguese at that time. The village is also the location in which the infamous

Besi Merah Putih Besi Merah Putih (also known as BMP), meaning ' red and white iron' in Indonesian, is the official name of an East Timor pro-Indonesia militia operating in the district of Liquiçá, and originating in the village of Maubara. Acts of murder, tort ...

militia was created. In 2000, on the western outskirts of the village, the UNTAET Crime Scene Detachment conducted sixteen

exhumation Burial, also known as interment or inhumation, is a method of final disposition whereby a dead body is placed into the ground, sometimes with objects. This is usually accomplished by excavating a pit or trench, placing the deceased and objec ...

s in two days, most being victims of the

Manuel Carrascalão House Massacre Manuel may refer to: People * Manuel (name) * Manuel (Fawlty Towers), a fictional character from the sitcom ''Fawlty Towers'' * Charlie Manuel, manager of the Philadelphia Phillies * Manuel I Komnenos, emperor of the Byzantine Empire * Ma ...

Dili Dili ( Portuguese/ Tetum: ''Díli'') is the capital, largest city of East Timor and the second largest city in Timor islands after Kupang (Indonesia). It lies on the northern coast of the island of Timor, in a small area of flat land hemmed i ...

Infrastructure

Maubara is linked to Dili by a good road. It has a market place with a small market hall and a health centre. Maubara is the administrative centre of suco de Vaviquinia.

Buildings

Maubara is famous for its

which was built by the Dutch around 1756. The fort with its two gates still contains the original cannon and is quite well-preserved. The building inside the fort was built in the second half of the 20th century. The Parish Church of Maubara is a small rectangular building built in a neoclassic style. The construction was organized by Padre Medeiros, the leading priest of the Timor Mission from 1877 to 1897. The Customs' house (''Posto de Alfândega'') was built in 1920 opposite the fort on the main road. Today it is used as a cultural centre with a library and a tourist information. ''Escola de Padre Medeiros'', a former school built in the first half of the 19th century, was torn down by the Diocese of Maliana and rebuilt in the original style as a residential building.
Patrimonio architectónico de origem portuguesa de Liquiçá, p. 102 08.04.14 Igreja Maubara 1.jpg, Parish Church of Maubara 18.04.14 Forte de Maubara 1.jpg, Maubara Fort Portuguese Fort, Maubara, East Timor (312835030).jpg, Maubara Fort MaubaraAltesZollhaus.jpg, Customs' House 18.04.2014 Escola Padre Medeiros Maubara 1.jpg, Former School ''Escola de Padre Medeiros'' MaubaraMarkthalle.jpg, Market Place MaubaraCentroSaúde.jpg, Health Centre Sede de Suco Vaviquinia.jpg, Administration building of the ''Suco de Vaviquinia''

History

Infrastructure

Buildings

References

Further reading