MUZIUM ISTANA KESULTANAN MELAKA / MELAKA SULTANATE PALACE MUSEUM
BEFORE THE EXISTENCE OF “MELAKA”
Before the 15th century there was no clear record by voyagers in Southeast Asia indicating the existence of the name "Melaka". In Chinese records, the Ming Shih-lu (History of Ming) stated that before the existence of Melaka the area was known as Tun-sun-tang-ke-lo-fu-sha. Chinese sources only recorded Melaka in 1403 AD. Pulau Besar, also known as Pulau Air (Water Island), had become a destination for Chinese trading ships and other vessels. Melaka’s river estuary was home to settlements of the Orang Laut people who rely on the river and sea environment as a source of food and income.
THE FOUNDING OF MELAKA
Melaka was founded by Parameswara, an heir of the Srivijaya royal lineage from Palembang who later ruled Melaka in around 1400 AD (but there are researchers who record it as 1262 AD based on the referencing of old manuscripts). The story of the opening of Melaka is associated with a strange incident in which while Parameswara rested under a tree, his hunting dogs were beaten back by a white mousedeer or barking deer until they fell into the river. Parameswara was amazed by the courage that he witnessed and from thereon named the place as Melaka after the name of the tree species that he had been resting under while witnessing the incident.
THE KING EMBRACES ISLAM
The events leading to Parameswara converting to Islam are recorded in the book Sulalatus Salatin (The Malay Annals) through the story of him initially having dreamed of meeting the Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) and was taught to say the Islamic affirmation of faith (syahadah). The next day when Asar prayer time came, a delegation of merchants and missionary from Jeddah led by Sayyid Abdul Aziz arrived. They were invited to the palace, and they Islamised Parameswara together with his dignitaries, followed by the people of Melaka embracing Islam as well.
VISIT OF THE DELEGATIONS FROM CHINA
In the early years of Parameswara's reign in 1403, Melaka was visited by a delegation dispatched by Yongle, the Ming Emperor of China, who sent Admiral Yin Qing to visit foreign states where diplomatic relations were established with China. As a result of wanting to outweigh the pressure from Siam and Majapahit, Parameswara welcomed the arrival of the Chinese entourage as the first step of diplomatic relations with China as a big power. At that early time, Melaka was only marked in the Chinese map as Wu Shu (Five Islands), which refers to the vicinity of Melaka’s Pulau Besar islands. In 1405, Admiral Yin Qing again visited Melaka with a letter of recognisance for the King of Melaka and declared Melaka as a sovereign state under the auspices of the Ming Dynasty, and referred to it as Man La Jia which is the name of Melaka in Chinese at that time.
THE MELAKA KING’S VISITS TO CHINA
Parameswara's visit to China is recorded in the Ming record in quite detail. Parameswara together with the Queen, Prince and Princess, ministers and entourage of 540 people arrived in China in 1411, in order to strengthen diplomatic relations between the two countries. The arrival of the Melaka King and his entourage to China was given a grand welcome, greeted with celebration, the entourage being well served and honoured. In fact, the royal delegations’ visits between Melaka and China were recorded no less than 18 times from 1405 to 1435.
MELAKA SULTANATE CENTRE OF ADMINISTRATION AT BUKIT MELAKA
The name ‘Bukit Melaka’ hill (later, St. Paul’s Hill) has been used since the time of the Melaka Malay Sultanate. This can be seen in Sulalatus Salatin (The Malay Annals) recording an incident relating to one of the Sultans of Melaka, Sultan Alauddin Riayat Syah (1477-1488):
"…Thus Sultan Alau'd-Din with Hang Isap went in pursuit of thieves comprising five men, so all the thieves ran up to Bukit Melaka (Melaka Hill), pursuing them up the hillside, meeting in the hill country; then Sultan Alaud-Din’s voice thundered, whence His Majesty slew one of the robbers, whose waist was severed like a cucumber, slashed in two. Thus, the other four men scurried to the bridge…”
In addition, through Western records, there is a drawing of a Melaka map in the book written by Manuel Godinho de Erédia in the Description of Malaca identifying the administrative area of the Melaka Malay Sultanate during the reign of the Sultans, which featured Melaka Hill written as Monte : Buquet Malaca. Apart from "Buquet Malaca" (Bukit Melaka), there are names of other hills such as Bukit China (Buquet China), Bukit Pipi (Buquetpipi) and Bukit Piatu (Buquetpiatto) also mentioned in the annotation.
ROYAL LANGUAGE
The Royal Language or Palace Language is a special vocabulary for the King and close royals. This vocabulary was created to signify the position of the King as more distinguished with exclusive terminology. Here are some commonly used Palace Language words:
| COMMON LANGUAGE | ROYAL/PALACE LANGUAGE |
|---|---|
| Saya (I) | Beta |
| Duduk, tinggal (to stay) | Bersemayam |
| Jumpa (meet) | Mengadap, menghadap |
| Bercakap, berkata (talk) | Bertitah |
| Berjalan, bersiar-siar (go out) | Berangkat |
| Berjalan, keluar (eg. royal visit) | Bercemar duli. mencemar duli |
| Makan (eat) | Santap |
| Makanan (food) | Santapan |
| Tidur (sleep) | Beradu |
| Tempat tidur (bed chamber) | Peraduan |
| Mandi (bathe) | Bersiram |
| Sakit (become ill) | Gering |
| Sudi, suka akan ( to like) | Berkenan |
| Marah (be angry) | Murka |
| Arahan, mengarahkan (to order) | Titah perintah, menitahkan |
| Terima kasih (to thank) | Menjunjung kasih |
| Kubur (grave) | Makam |
CURRENCY
Prior to the use of official currency during the Melaka Malay Sultanate, most of the trading activities were transacted by the exchange of goods, better known as barter trading. However, there were also transactions involving the use of gold ash/dust, silver ingots and tin pieces. The use of Chinese copper coins, in particular when dealing with the Chinese themselves, was also practiced. The first metal currency or official coinage of Melaka was introduced during the reign of Sultan Muzaffar Syah.
There were four types of coins used during the Melaka Sultanate based on archaeological finds in several places including at the Melaka River, Dataran Pahlawan, sea embankment area near Pulau Melaka and other sites. These coins were the currency of Sultan Muzaffar Syah, Sultan Mansur Syah, Sultan Mahmud Syah and Sultan Ahmad which are mainly made of tin. These coins are known as pitis. There are coins with values such as 1 pitis and 1/2 pitis.
