Four hundred years of sandalwood, forts, missions and a colonial border that still shapes the island.
Why this channel
What you will learn here
It explains the architecture, the language, the surnames, the Church and why Timor-Leste is not part of Indonesia.
Four short filmed conversations with the people who know this subject first-hand are being produced for this page by Stays of Timor. Each is two to three minutes — honest, local, and recorded in Timor-Leste.
The interviews
Four conversations, four angles
🎥Interview coming soon
Interview 1Sandalwood and the reason they came
The trade that drew Portuguese, Dutch and Chinese traders to the island.
🎥Interview coming soon
Interview 2Forts, towns and tiled facades
The colonial-era built heritage and what is being saved or lost.
🎥Interview coming soon
Interview 3Liurai, indirect rule and the 1912 war
How Portugal actually governed — through kings — and what happened when that broke.
🎥Interview coming soon
Interview 4The Second World War and its aftermath
Japanese occupation, the Australian commandos, and the Timorese who paid for it.
In pictures
History & Faith
Balibo Flag HouseBalibo fort gatewayPousada de BaucauChurch at Manatuto
Photos: Ministry of Tourism & Environment, Timor-Leste
Part of the Timor Information Channels — 28 subjects, told by the people who know them. Produced by Stays of Timor.
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