Twentieth Century Trengganu: The Royal Birth-Marks of the Melakan Empire

The economic importance of Melaka in the cross-cultural trade routes of the world and its political supremacy in Southeast Asia has been well documented. Even after its conquest by the Portuguese in 1511, the influence of the exiled Malay Sultanate continued, albeit from a different location – Jahor Lama, where it would seem the influence of the sultanate later floundered. However, in the 1980s, an ancient manuscript  that dates from 1891 was discovered, the Trengganu Tuhfat al-Nafis (The Precious Gift). This masterpiece provided a radically different version of Malaysian history with its reinterpretation of the royal genealogical tree of the Melakan ruling families, particularly during the 18^th and 19^th centuries. Its central argument is that Sultan Zainal Abidin III was the most senior ruler in the Jofalay world – and successor to the ancient Funan, Srivijaya, Melaka, Johor Lama and Johor-Riau-Lingga Empires.