The Terrace of Mecca : Atjeh AAR

Chapter One : The Introduction

Sultanate of Atjeh was one of the great sultanate in Indonesia. Its location was on Sumatra land with its capital, Kutaraja (now Banda Aceh). Sultanate of Atjeh had one rival on Malacca Strait, Sultanate of Malacca. Atjeh and Malacca competed each other in the trade on Malacca Strait especially in Malacca as center of trade. Of course the national religion of Atjeh was Islam. Moreover, Atjeh was also known as the Terrace of Mecca because every moslem in Nusantara who wanted to make a pilgrimage (haji) to Mecca went to Mecca by ship from Atjeh. But what kind of Islam? Sunni or Shiite? In the history we found that Atjeh had Sunni Islam as its national religion until now.

On January 1 1419, Sultanate of Atjeh was ruled by Sultan Muhammad Ala ud-Din Inayat Jahan Shah. Atjeh consisted of three provinces : Ajeh, Riau, and Jambi. All of its provinces was Islam except Jambi as Buddhist province because in the past Jambi was ruled by Sriwijaya Kingdom as a great Buddhist kingdom in Nusantara even in South East Asia.

In that time Sultanate of Atjeh had a weak position. In diplomacy, it had no treaty with other nation. In military, although Atjeh had an army called Atjeh Army which led by Colonel Nadjaf and consisted of 10,000 infantry and 2,000 cavalry, but it didn't have even one ship as naval force. Moreover, the Atjeh Army didn't have enough practices so that it had low quality and low morale. In financial status, Sultanate of Atjeh had only 200 ducats in January 1419. Of course it was almost impossible to build a great sultanate with that money.

Next :
What did the sultan do to rise his sultanate from the crisis?

Chapter Two : Reformation

On January 1 1419, Sultan Muhammad Ala ud-Din Inayat Jahan Shah ordered his prime minister to make a change in Atjeh policy or in the other word, reformation in order to make the sultanate stronger. The prime minister agreed with his sultan and give orders to Minister of War, Minister of Trade, Minister of Religion, Minister of Internal Affairs, Minister of Treasury, and Foreign Minister to start a reformation.

Immediately, Minister of War called Colonel Nadjaf to discuss about the reformation. Colonel Nadjaf explained the army condition to the minister and suggested more practices and more fund to raise more troops. The minister agreed with the colonel but he didn't agree to raise more troops because the sultanate had no more money to raise more troops. The colonel understood the situation that the sultanate had but he still argued that Atjeh must have more troops against Malacca. Couldn't had a good argument, the minister dismissed the meeting and promised to bring this problem to the prime minister. After that meeting, the minister met his naval officers and found that Atjeh had no warship. In that meeting the minister ordered his officers to build a warship in Ajeh to guard the sea against the pirates and to guard the border with Malacca.

Meanwhile, Minister of Trade ordered his officers to increase the trade and give incentive to the merchants who can improve his trade.

In his office, Minister of Religion called many ulamas and asked them to improve the religion education and to motivate the people to help the poor.

In the other place in the palace, Minister of Internal Affairs and Minister of Treasury discussed about how to fight the inflation and increase the national treasury.

One day after the declaration of reformation by sultan, sultan had a court with the cabinet. In that court, Minister of War brought his military problem and asked if sultan could give the army more fund to raise more troops. Sultan asked what for more troops, moreover he suggested raising military efficiency and that was mean the decreasing of men in army. Minister of War explained that Atjeh needed more troops to make ready for a war against Malacca but the sultan didn't agree with him.

"War? We don't need more war against Malacca. We have the same religion with them and they are our relatives by history. Both of us have suffered for a long war in the past and now we are weak because of the war. No! No war! And those who suggest war will be beheaded! We will make a reconcile with our brethren in Malacca."

"Forgive me, Your Highness. I'm too stupid to understand your mind", answered Minister of War.

Sultan speak again, "We won't make a war against Malacca but we will against those damn pirates who frequently attacks our ship. So I appreciate you for your effort to build a warship."

"Thanks, Your Highness. May Allah give Your Highness a long healthy life and wisdom forever", bowed Minister of War.

To obey the sultan, Minister of War disbanded 1,000 infantry and 2,000 cavalry after consulted the problem with Minister of Treasury. First, because the sultanate's budget could only pay the wage of 9,000 men. Second, because the land of Atjeh consisted of many forests and the cavalry didn't have many purpose in the real war in forest except for prestise among the nobles. Of course not everyone agreed or pleased with this kind of reformation especially the nobles and the men who had fired from army.

Next :
Will the reformation succeed?

Chapter Three : Colonization, Conversion, and Fighting Pirates

The effect of the reformation appeared only three months from its beginning. People felt safer because many criminals and pirates were prisoned as a result of the army reformation. People also enjoyed the low inflation and the merchants enjoyed the incentives.

On April 1 1419, the people of Atjeh held the parade as a thanks to the sultan and declared the loyalty to the sultanate forever. The sultan was pleased and had a banquet with his officers. On that day a group of merchants asked the sultan whether they could be given permission to trade in Malacca. But the sultan rejected their request because they didn't have a good commodity to trade. From that day, many merchants asked sultan's permission to trade in Malacca.

The sultan always want to convert the Buddhists in Jambi and develop its province. As a result, he ordered a hundred peasants and merchants to go to Jambi and develop that province on May 1 1419. But on July 1 1419 the sultan received an information that they were attacked by wild animals and lost in forest.

As a result of religion reformation, a group of ulamas met the sultan on August 1 1419 and asked his permission to convert the Buddhists in Jambi. But the sultan didn't give them permission because he wanted to convert the Buddhists in Jambi to Islam without preaching that can cause disturbance but with marriage. The sultan wish would come true when September 1 1419 a group of wealthy merchants was sent to Jambi to do the sultan wish. His wish was really come true on November 1 1419 when almost all Buddhists people in Jambi had been converted to Islam as a result of many marriages especially with the wealthy merchants. But many of them still didn't want to join the sultanate.

A good news came to the naval force on October 1 1419 when the building of a warship had been finished. That warship was under Ajeh Fleet led by Commodore Queseima. In order to form a reconciliation with Malacca, the sultan ordered Commodore Queseima to spy Malacca and Atjeh Fleet set sail to Straits of Malacca. On November 16 1419 Ajeh Fleet reached Straits of Malacca and found a military movement but that force would be used to strike Ayutthaya not Atjeh. So Ajeh Fleet set sail to home land and reported that to the sultan on January 1 1420. The sultan was pleased to hear that report and made a preparation to reconciliation with Sultanate of Malacca.

One problems that Atjeh had was the pirates in west coast of Sumatra. To encounter this problem, Ajeh Fleet had been ordered to set sail to west coast of Sumatra even to west Java and fight the pirates. This effort was success and many pirates feared to pirate on west coast Sumatra after Ajeh Fleet patrolled on the coast.

Next :
How could the reconciliation with the Sultanate of Malacca be done?

Thanks for all of your comment
Maybe I will be out for a week to study for midterm exams.
And coz I don't like to disappoint all of you, I submit all of my three chapters that I have done.
Enjoy my three chapters of my first AAR

kucing - Hmm...quite interesting
My next AAR maybe Mataram or Makassar or Ternate as a part of Nusantara.

Amric - Haven't read about Atjeh? Now in that region there's a war with the rebels called GAM (Gerakan Aceh Merdeka) or Aceh Liberation Movement. But I don't wanna talk about politics. A good news for readers that haven't read about Atjeh coz I write some introduction in the first chapter.

Chapter Four : The Reconciliation with Sultanate of Malacca

For many years the noble families in Dai Viet thought how to free Dai Viet from their oppressors, the Chinese Ming dynasty. On January 2 1420 they made a preparation to declare the independence of Dai Viet from China by found the Dai Viet Empire and elected an emperor. Their acts made China suspected them but China's suspicion was denied by the tribute from Dai Viet Empire. But China would be regret because the people of Dai Viet rebelled against China on June 29 1420 and expelled Chinese troops out from Dai Viet Empire.

After the conversion of the Buddhist people in Jambi, the sultan learned that the most effective way to make a good relationship is marriage. So, the sultan would use this way to make a reconciliation with Malacca. Sultan of Atjeh had a beautiful daughter and he had been heard that the Sultan of Malacca had a clever and smart heir. So he wanted to arrange a royal marriage between his daughter and the heir of Malacca. For this purpose the sultan wrote a letter by his hand.


In the name of Allah, the merciful God.

Assalamualaikum wr.wb

This is the royal and personal letter of Muhammad Ala ud-Din Inayat Jahan Shah, sultan of the great Sultanate of Atjeh and your brother.

To the Iskandar Zulkarnian Shah, sultan of the great Sultanate of Malacca and my brother.

Greetings to the people of Malacca from the people of Atjeh.

With this letter I want to remind you, my brother, that we are relatives. My ancestors is your ancestors. It is indeed that we have had a war against each other for a long time. But let it be a part of a dark history in the past.

Remember that we have the same ancestors and we have the same religion, Islam, and we have had the same culture, Malay culture. In our religion, Islam, both of us know that every moslem in every place is brother by moslem brotherhood. Based on these facts, I as Sultan of Atjeh want to make a reconciliation with Malacca.

I heard that you have a clever and smart heir. He must be like a jewel for the people of Malacca. I also have a beautiful daughter and she is like a diamond for the people of Atjeh. I think they are suitable each other.

With this letter I also want to marry our children in a suitable royal marriage. Our sultanate will be more powerful if we unite our sultanate in this royal marriage. Of course you know that, my wise brother.


This letter is written by my hand,
Muhammad Ala ud-Din Inayat Jahan Shah
Sultan of Atjeh


Sultan's letter was brought to Malacca by an emissary who is a brother of the future-bride, a sultan's son and a prince of Atjeh. The prince also brought with him many gifts as sign of serious proposal of royal marriage. Two weeks later, on February 1 1420 the prince arrived at Kutaraja and delivered the answer letter from Sultan of Malacca. Then the sultan quickly read the letter on his royal office.


In the name of Allah, the merciful God.

Assalamualaikum wr.wb

This is the royal and personal letter of ..., sultan of the great Sultanate of Malacca and your brother in relative and in moslem brotherhood.

To the Muhammad Ala ud-Din Inayat Jahan Shah, sultan of great Sultanate of Atjeh, my brother.

Greetings to the people from Malacca to the people of Atjeh.

I have read your lovely letter and actually I have the same longing as much as yours to see our sultanate reconcile again. I also accept your gracious gifts and I want to say thank you.

As I read your letter, I felt very happy to see our sultanate is united in a royal marriage. I also have heard many things about your beloved daughter and my son too. My son doesn't have any patience any more to marry your daughter and make her the future queen of Malacca. For that purpose I write this letter and I also sent you the gifts as valuable as yours.

Please come as soon as possible to Malacca and we will have a wedding party together.

May our country always be blessed by Allah, the only and the merciful God.

This letter is written by my hand,
Iskandar Zulkarnian Shah
Sultan of Malacca


Then the wedding ceremony was held in Malacca for a week. The people of Malacca and Atjeh was happy at one time. It seems these two sultanates would be united in one throne

Next :
What happens next? Was it true that these two sultanates would become one sultanate?

In history, the Europeans found Indonesia in 16th century. The Portuguese was the first.

Chapter Five : Again, The Crisis

In May, 1420 the Sultanate of Atjeh experienced a financial problem. There was so many merchants that wanted to expand their trade in Jambi but the sultanate didn't have money to give them more incentive because there was much money that have spent during the royal marriage. So the merchants ended up not going and not expanding their trade in Jambi. The Minister of Trade suggested the sultan to take a loan from another country like Malacca or to increase the tax. But the sultan rejected his suggestion. Why did the sultan reject that suggestion? Let's look this letter taken from the office of Minister of Trade.


In the name of Allah, the merciful God.

It is the letter of the Great Sultan Muhammad Ala ud-Din Inayat Jahan Shah, the ruler of the people of Atjeh.

To Minister of Trade.

I have heard your suggestion and I also have thought and considered that. I know that we need more fund to rule this country. But I also have heard the suffering of our people. Our people have suffered enough from the past war and the heavy taxes. It is unwise to make our people suffer again. I want to make our people happy and prosperous so I decide that we must neither take a loan nor increase the taxes. We will face this problem together with our people.

May God bless us and the people of Atjeh.


After the royal marriage, the sultan felt that the reconciliation with Malacca will be completed with another diplomatic act, the military alliance. For this purpose, in the early 1421 the sultan sent an envoy to discuss about this military alliance. But once more Atjeh faced another crisis in diplomatic. The sultan of Malacca didn't understand the advantages of making a military alliance because the envoy wasn't clever enough to convince the sultan of Malacca.

But in the middle of those crisis, there was a good news brought from eastern region in June, 1421. The Sultanate of Ternate had defeated the Hindu Kingdom of Makassar and made that kingdom her vassal. This news satisfied the sultan because he concerned about the spreading of Islam in Nusantara.

Three months later a big event was occured. In September 14, 1420, a meteor was sighted on the sky of Atjeh. Now, we know that the event like that is common in astronomy. But at that time there was so many superstitious about the meteor. That event brought a worry to the Sultanate of Atjeh especially its people. Many people followed the heretics that taught about the end of days. The sultan felt that was important to crush those heretics. So the leaders of the heretics was captured and beheaded by sultan's orders. Finally, the heretics movement were over in December 1421.