On the coast near Pante Macassar lies
Oesono, where the
Kingdom of Oecussi had its seat. The kingdom was ruled by
Topasses. The
Topasses were descendants of Portuguese soldiers, sailors and traders who married women from
Solor. They had a decisive influence on developments on Timor in the 17th and 18th centuries. 6 kilometres west of the present-day town of Pante Macassar,
Dominicans founded the town of
Lifau in 1556 to secure the sandalwood trade. From 1702 onwards,
Lifau, in the outskirts of the present city, was the place where the
Portuguese first disembarked on
Timor and was the first capital of
Portuguese Timor. It continued as capital until 1769, when that was transferred to
Dili because of constant attacks from the
Topasses. In May 1912, during the great
Manufahi rebellion, there was also an uprising against the colonial rulers in Oecussi. The rebellion was put down with the support of the gunboat
Pátria. Twice a week, a
ferry boat from
Dili arrives, for a journey that takes 12 hours. ==Climate==