Penulisan Scripts – Cerita Tanjung Tanah- Tanjung Tanah Scripts Code of Law

1. The Universal Language

By the 16th century, Malay had become the most important language in Southeast Asia.

Commerce: If you were a merchant from Europe, India, or China wanting to buy spices, you had to speak Malay to do business.
Diplomacy: Kings and sultans across the thousands of islands used Malay to write official letters to one another.

2. The Influence of Islam

As Islam spread across the region, it changed how the Malay language was written and preserved. This led to a “boom” in book-making (the manuscript tradition).

A New Alphabet: Malays adopted the Jawi script, which is based on Arabic letters but modified to fit Malay sounds.
A New Material: Instead of using tree bark or bamboo, people began using paper, which was easier to produce in large quantities and better for writing detailed texts.

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The Two Styles of Writing

The “official” history of Malay literature often focuses on manuscripts written in Jawi (an adapted Arabic script). However, there is a whole different world of writing in Southern Sumatra:

Surat Ulu Scripts: These are ancient, indigenous alphabets used in regions like Kerinci, Lampung, and Bengkulu. They look more like Indian scripts than Arabic.
Materials: These were often carved into bamboo, buffalo horns, or tree bark (like the Tanjung Tanah manuscript).

The Core Debate

The text is making a logical point:

The “Oldest” Title: People often call the Tanjung Tanah manuscript the “oldest Malay manuscript.”
The Condition: This title is only true if you ignore all the other writings found in the Southern Sumatran scripts (Surat Ulu).
The Argument: If we count those bamboo and horn carvings as “Malay writing,” then the history of Malay literature might be even older and more diverse than most people realize.

Why Does This Matter?

For a long time, many scholars treated Surat Ulu as “folk art” or “local dialects” rather than “real” Malay literature. The author is challenging this, suggesting that by looking at the Tanjung Tanah manuscript (which uses these older styles), we are seeing a missing link in Malay history.

…Other scholars have challenged this theory because it is not plausible to assume that the Malays never
developed a pre-Islamic manuscript tradition or lost it in the course of history.

1. The Power of Location

The empires of Srivijaya and Malayu were like “toll booths” for the world. They sat right on the Strait of Melaka, which was the only practical way to sail between India and China.

Trade Control: Because they controlled this narrow water passage, they became incredibly wealthy and sophisticated.
Cultural Influence: They were centers for learning, religion (Buddhism and Hinduism), and law.

2. The Missing Evidence

For a long time, historians faced a puzzle:

The Theory: It makes sense that such a powerful, organized empire would have a manuscript tradition (writing books and documents) using ancient Indian-style scripts.
The Problem: Almost no physical “books” or manuscripts from that era survived. Most of what we knew came from stone carvings (inscriptions), which are much harder to destroy than paper or bark.

3. Why the Tanjung Tanah Manuscript is a “Big Deal”

Until the discovery of the Tanjung Tanah manuscript, there was no physical evidence of a Malay book written before Islam arrived.

The discovery of this “bark-paper” law book finally proved the theory true: The ancient Malay people did have a rich tradition of writing on portable materials, but most of those documents likely rotted away in the humid tropical climate or were lost over time.

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In 1941, a Dutch scholar named Petrus Voorhoeve found a very special manuscript in a village called Tanjung Tanah in Sumatra.

Most old documents found in that area were written on buffalo horns or paper. However, this one was made from dluwang—a type of “paper” made from the bark of the mulberry tree. This material was common in Java but unusual for Sumatra.

The history of this document is like a mystery novel:

1941: Voorhoeve finds the manuscript and works on it with a language expert named Poerbatjaraka.
World War II: Their notes and translations are lost during the chaos of the war.
1970: Voorhoeve writes about the manuscript again, but he has to rely mostly on his memory and a few old notes.
1975: A British anthropologist finally finds the lost notes from 1941.

Voorhoeve remembered a few key details about the “small booklet”:

The Writing: It used two different ancient scripts (Old Javanese and Rèntjong).
The Content: It was a book of laws (specifically a Malay version of the Sarasamucchaya) that mostly listed fines people had to pay for breaking rules.
A Crucial Clue: It mentioned the name Dharmasraya. This is a famous place where a king received a special statue from Java in the year 1286.

Because of these clues, Voorhoeve concluded that the manuscript was “pre-Islamic,” meaning it was written before Islam became the primary religion in that region.

The manuscript was likely written around the year 1397 AD. Because of the 40-year margin of error, the date could fall anywhere between 1357 and 1437.

This confirms that the manuscript is incredibly old—dating back to the 14th or 15th century, making it the oldest known Malay manuscript in the world.

With a probability of 95.4% the Tanjung Tanah manuscript dates either between 1304 and 1370 AD.

This was done through carbon dating.

The Tanjung Tanah manuscript hence provides firm evidence that a written literary tradition in Malay existed before the profound impact of Islam in Southeast Asian maritime societies.

The Tanjung Tanah manuscript differs from the usual legal codes in that it is not written in jawi script, but in a Pallavo-Nusantaric script similar to the Old Javanese script, and probably related to the Malayu script of the Adityawarman inscriptions in West Sumatra.

Pre Islamic scripts

The text highlights a major difference in how ancient documents were written:

Islamic Period: These documents usually start with the religious phrase Bismillahi ‘rrahmani ‘rrahim (In the name of God, the Compassionate, the Merciful).
The Tanjung Tanah Manuscript: Instead of a Muslim prayer, it uses Sanskrit, the ancient language of scholars in the Hindu-Buddhist era.

The manuscript contains specific details that help historians place it in time:

The Date: The opening sentences mention the month of Waisyak (a month in the Hindu calendar) and a year from the Saka era. Sadly, the exact year is too faded to read.
The Location: The ending mentions that these laws were made for the “entire land of Kerinci.”
The Ruler: It names a king, Paduka Ari Maharaja Drammasraya, which links the laws to a specific kingdom that existed long ago.

Although the language of the document is Malay, it can only partly be understood by speakers of modern Malay. This is hardly surprising given that the text was composed more than 600 yearsago, and that the Malay language has changed profoundly during this time span.

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The period of 1270-1300 was a period of crisis, in which a number of important changes occurred in Southeast Asia in response to the attack by the forces of Kublai Khan to various places mainly incontinental, but also insular, Southeast Asia.

The rise and expansion of the Mongol empire in the thirteenth century had far reaching repercussions for the Malay world, and among the most prominent events towards the end of the century were the Thai conquest of the Malay Peninsula, and the Pamalayu expedition.

….

Krom believed that King Krtanagara, the powerful ruler of the Singhasari kingdom in East Java, wanted to control all of Sumatra.

1. The Written Proof (The Epic Poem)

Krom used an ancient Javanese poem called the Nagarakrtagama. It says:

In 1275, the King ordered his army to attack “the land of Malayu.”
By the end of the mission, the Malay Peninsula and Sumatra “bowed humbly” to Java.

2. The Physical Proof (The Statue)

Krom’s strongest evidence is a stone statue of a Buddhist god called Amoghapasa.

The Gift: In 1286, King Krtanagara sent this statue from Java to Sumatra as a “gift.”
The Location: It was placed in Dharmasraya (a kingdom in West Sumatra).
The Message: An inscription on the statue says the local people and their king, Mauliwarmadewa, were very happy to receive it.

Another theory

While some scholars believe Java simply conquered Sumatra, a historian named C.C. Berg came up with a different idea.

The “Great Alliance” Theory

Berg argued that the Javanese King Krtanagara wasn’t just being a bully. Instead, he was trying to build a massive defense team across the islands of Indonesia (Nusantara).

The Big Threat: The Mongols from China, led by Kublai Khan, were expanding their empire and threatening Southeast Asia.
The Goal: Berg believed the King wanted to unite Java and Sumatra into an “anti-Mongol alliance” to keep the invaders out.
The Statue: Another scholar, De Casparis, agreed. He said the Amoghapasa statue wasn’t a sign of surrender, but a gift of friendship to bring Malay states under the protection of the “Singhasari umbrella.”

A Difference in Timing

Berg also disagreed on when this happened:

Krom’s View: The military mission started in 1275.
Berg’s View: It didn’t happen until 1292—the same year King Krtanagara was killed.

From Singhasari to Majapahit

The Singhasari kingdom ended in 1292, but it was replaced by the even more famous Majapahit Empire.

By the year 1365, a poem called the Nagarakrtagama claimed that Majapahit controlled almost all of Sumatra. The poem lists 24 territories that were “obedient” to the Javanese Empire, including:

Dharmasraya (where the manuscript clues come from)
Minangkabau (the highlands of West Sumatra)
Palembang and Jambi (the river-trading hubs)

The Spread of Islam

This was the final era of Hindu-Buddhist kingdoms in Indonesia. While Majapahit was at its strongest in the south, Islam was already starting to spread in northern Sumatra (Aceh). Eventually, these old kingdoms would fade as Islamic sultanates rose to power.

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(Interception)

Was there evidence Mongols came to Java?

1. The Insult

In the late 1200s, Kublai Khan, the Mongol leader of the Yuan Dynasty in China, sent messengers to Java. He demanded that King Krtanagara pay tribute (money and loyalty) to China.

Krtanagara refused. To make his point clear, he cut off the ears (or branded the face, according to some accounts) of the Mongol messenger and sent him back to China. Kublai Khan was furious and ordered a massive fleet of 1,000 ships and 20,000 soldiers to punish the Javanese king.

2. The Chaos of 1292

By the time the Mongol fleet arrived in Java in 1293, the political situation had changed completely:

Krtanagara was dead: He had been killed in a rebellion led by a rival named Jayakatwang.
Raden Wijaya, the son-in-law of the dead king, was hiding in the woods of East Java.

3. The Double-Cross

Raden Wijaya saw an opportunity. He met the arriving Mongols and told them, “If you help me defeat Jayakatwang (the man who killed the King you came to punish), I will surrender to the Great Khan.”

The Mongols agreed. With their advanced weaponry and military might, they quickly crushed Jayakatwang’s forces.

4. The Surprise Attack

While the Mongols were celebrating their victory and preparing to go home, Raden Wijaya turned on them. He led a surprise attack against the relaxed Mongol camp, killing many. The Mongols, far from home and confused by the local terrain and heat, retreated to their ships and sailed back to China.

The Result: The Birth of Majapahit

By tricking the most powerful army in the world into doing his “dirty work” and then driving them away, Raden Wijaya became the hero of Java. He founded the Majapahit Empire in 1293, which eventually grew to control most of modern-day Indonesia and Malaysia.

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After the Mongol invasion failed and the new Majapahit Empire began, a famous figure emerged who would link Java and Sumatra forever: King Adityawarman.

The Story of the Two Princesses

When the Javanese army (the Pamalayu forces) returned to Java in 1294, they didn’t just bring news of victory; they brought two sisters from the Sumatran royalty:

Dara Petak: She married the founder of Majapahit, Raden Wijaya.
Dara Jingga: She was known as the “Heart-Shattering Lady” and became the mother of Adityawarman.

Adityawarman: The Great King of the Highlands

Adityawarman was a unique leader because he was raised in the Javanese court but had Sumatran blood. Eventually, he moved to Sumatra to rule the Malayu Kingdom (roughly between 1347 and 1376 AD).

The New Heartland: He moved the center of power from the coast into the Minangkabau Highlands of West Sumatra.
The Capital: He established his capital at Suroaso.
Legacy in Stone: He left behind more than 20 stone inscriptions. These large stones, written in Sanskrit and Old Malay, prove that he was a powerful and highly educated ruler.

….

1. The Shift: From Sea to Land

For a long time, the kingdom was a maritime power. Its capital was likely at Muara Jambi, a massive city on the Batang Hari river near the coast.

The Old Way (Maritime): They got rich by taxing ships and trading goods across the ocean.
The Loss of Control: Eventually, other ports became popular, and the Malayu kingdom lost its “monopoly” (total control) over sea trade.

2. The New Gold Mine (Literally)

By around 1310, the capital moved deep into the Bukit Barisan mountains (the Minangkabau Highlands). This move happened for two main reasons:

Agriculture: The mountain valleys were incredibly fertile, allowing them to grow plenty of food for their people.
Gold: The Minangkabau region was famous for its rich gold mines. By controlling the gold at its source, the kingdom remained wealthy even without the sea trade.

3. The Legacy of Muara Jambi

Even after the king moved to the mountains, people still lived in Muara Jambi until Islamic times. However, the “glory days” of the coastal temples and grand trade markets faded once the kingdom decided that the gold in the mountains was more valuable than the ships on the water.

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Gold,

Sumatra was so famous for its gold that ancient people called it Suvarnabhumi (the Land of Gold). This wealth was concentrated in the mountains where the Tanjung Tanah manuscript was found.

Where the Gold Was Found

All the valuable metals in Sumatra are located in the Bukit Barisan mountain range. Three main areas were famous for gold:

Minangkabau Highlands: Famous for deep mine shafts.
Kerinci: Described by early explorers as the best source of gold on the island.
Rejang-Lebong: Where gold was found on the surface or by “panning” (washing river sand to find gold flakes).

How They Mined It

Before modern machinery, people used impressive traditional methods:

Deep Shafts: In southern Kerinci, miners dug holes up to 60 meters deep (about as tall as a 15-story building) to find gold veins.
River Panning: In other areas, people simply collected gold that had washed into the rivers from the mountains.

Legends of “The Gold Island”

The kings of Sumatra were incredibly wealthy. Historical records show just how much gold they had:

The Big Gift: In the year 1079, a ruler from Palembang donated 600,000 pieces of gold to a temple in China.
The Gold Pool: An old Arabic story claims a king would throw a gold bar into a pool every day. When he died, the gold was pulled out and given to his family and the poor.

How Gold Was Used in Daily Life

Gold wasn’t just for showing off; it was the “money” that kept the economy moving:

Upriver People (Highlands): Used gold to buy salt, iron, and cloth from the coast.
Lowland Rulers (Coast): Used that same gold to buy rice and supplies from Java.
Status: It was the ultimate symbol of power for a King.

Interestingly, while gold was always used locally, it only became a major product for international trade (selling to Europe and India) in the 1500s.

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Throughout the whole of Sumatra, metallic minerals are limited to
the Bukit Barisan mountain chain, and in particular to the area
from the equator to 4º southern latitude covering the valleys of
Lebong, Kerinci, and Minangkabau.17 Kerinci has long been
renown for its gold deposits and Valentijn mentions Kerinci in 1726
as the best source of gold on the island, although it must be
cautioned that similar claims have been made for the other regions
too. Little is known about mining activities in precolonial times, but
a Dutch geologist found 42 mine shafts dug by traditional miners
reaching a depth of sixty meters in the hills of the southeastern
Batang Hari bordering southern Kerinci (Miksic 1985:452). Gold
was also extensively mined in the Tanah Datar area of the
Minangkabau Highlands, but the extensive gold deposits of the
Rejang-Lebong region were apparently not extracted by mining in
shafts as it was in Minangkabau and the Kerinci area, but by
surface mining and panning the drift in the rivers (Prodolliet & Znoj
1992:58). The immense wealth of gold in Suvarnadvipa or
53
Suvarnabhumi (Gold Island or Land), as Sumatra was known, can
be exemplified by the donation of 600,000 pieces of gold for a Taoist
temple in Canton by the Maharaja of Palembang in 1079 (Wolters
1970:15). An Arabic source from the tenth century describes a
daily ritual in which the Maharaja of Zabag18 “throws a gold ingot
into a pool of water. Only at low tide could one see the vast
accumulation of gold ingots in the pool. At the death of the
maharaja, the gold was recovered and distributed to the princess
and the royal family […]. What remained was given to the poor and
unfortunate” (Andaya 2001:322). It appears that it was only in the
sixteenth century that gold became an export commodity for the
international trade, although it had always been important as a
status symbol of the Sumatran rulers. Gold was also used by the
upriver societies to purchase cloth, salt, iron, and luxury items
from the lowlands, whereas the lowland rulers used it to purchase
rice and salt from Java

…

Kaya raya .

…

This transition shows that the Malayu Kingdom was very clever. Even though they moved their “brain” (the capital) to the mountains, they kept their “hands” (the ports) in the ocean.

A Two-Sided Kingdom

Malayu didn’t just stop being a sea power; they simply changed how they functioned. They became a land-based power that still kept a strong foot in the international market.

The Interior (The Highlands): Provided the resources, specifically gold and crops.
The Coast (The Lowlands): Provided the “doorway” to the rest of the world.

Proof of International Activity

We know they were still important players in world trade because of their missions to China. A “tributary mission” was a formal visit to the Chinese Emperor to establish trade rights.

Early Period: Missions were sent in 1281, 1293, 1299, and 1301.
Peak Period: They sent an impressive 6 missions in just 7 years (between 1371 and 1377).

The Busy Ports

The old capital, Muara Jambi, didn’t just disappear. It remained a busy hub alongside newer ports like Muara Sabak (Koto Kandis and Sitihawa). Archaeologists have found evidence that many people lived in these coastal areas from the 1100s to the 1300s.

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Transliteration

……………………………………..
…çri…ka…satita……….
masa wesaka //
.. ong //..// jYasta masa titi
kresnapaksa //.. // diwasa …
pduka sri maharaja karta………
çri gandawangça mradanamaga…
… saka……. kartabe……….

Page 89:
anugraha at..sang…kamtta
nrang pda mandalika di bumi kurinci …
si lunjur kurinci maka ma…
ha sanapati prapatih samaga
t prabalang-balangngan disa pra…
di s..idangnga desa hallat…
hallat di desa pradesa banwa sahaya, jangan………….

Page 90:
pda dipatinya yang surang-surang…….
barang tida… da pda dipati, dwa ta

hil sapaha dandanya // sadang
panghulunya bahawumman tYada
ya manurunni, tYada ya manurunni
pahawumman, mangada …kah kalahi, didanda satahil sapaPage 91:
ha // jaka balawannan kadwa sama
kadanda kadwa // punarapi jaka mangannakan judi jahi, yang adu mra…
danda satahil sapaha, yang bajudi kadanda satahil sapaha surang-surang, gaggah rabut dirampassi malawan mangunus karris ……. tumbak bunuh / mati bala …… ngaka

Page 92:
da dusun nurang dunungngan … rati
maling manyamun dYangkatkan nurang
managih marusak rumah orang maling rusuh cangkal b..tupa
banwakan, sanggabumikan bunuh
anaknya trenyata panjing kedalam
saparu lawan dipati yang dunungngannya
didanda dwa tahil sapaha // puPage 93:
narapi jaka orang mamagat paocap wurang dipiraknya olih orang
orang yang mamagat, didanda satahil paha //..// punarapi barang mangubah sukattan gantang cupak katiyan, kundre bungkal pihayu
didanda satahi sa(pa)ha barang
manunggu orang tida tang amat

Page 94:
pda panghulunya orang yang ditunggu
mangadakan rannyah baribin didanda satahil sapaha yang
manyuruh pwan sama dan-da20 kaowa, barang mamagang orang tandang bartah…mahulukan judi jadi sabung maling, barang mamagang didanda satahil saPage 95:
paha //..// barang orang nayik ka
rumah orang tida ya barsarru barkuwat barsuluh, bunuh sanggabumikan salah ta olih mamunuh sanggabumikan oleh dipati barampat suku, sabu suk….xxxnuh21 sabusuk tida
Page 96
mamunuh //..//maling kambing maling babi danda sapuluh mas, maling anjing lima mas, anjing basaja, maling anjing mawu sapuluh
mas, anjing dipati pwan sakYan // anjing raja satahil
sapaha // maing hayam saPage 97:
haya orang bagi as pulang duwa //
hayam bannwa sikur pulang tiga //
hayam kutra bagi sikur pulang lima //
hayam dipati ayam anak
cucu dipati bagi sikur pulang tujuh //
hayam raja bagi sa pulang dwa
kali tujuh // hayam banwa lima

Page 98:
kupang, hayam pulang manikal //
hayam putra tangngah tiga mas //
hayam hanak cucu dipati hayam dipati lima mas // hayam raja sapuluh mas // barang mangiwat orang, da dandanya satahil sapaha, orang pulang sarupanya //
Page 99:
jaka orang tandang bajalan basaja,
bawa minam makan lalukan // barang sYapa orang mambawa atnya panjalak pasunguhhi hantar tati dusun, pakamitkan olih orang punya dusun // maling tuwak di datas
di bawah didanda lima mas //
Page 100:
maling bubu, bubu ditimbunni padi sipanuhnya, jaka tidak tarisi
lima mas dandanya // barang mangubah
panycawida, didanda lima tahil
sapaha // barang bahilang orang mata
karja yang purwa, sakati lima dandanya // .. // barbu // barang sYapa baPage 101 :
rbunyi dusa sangkita, danda dwa tahil sapaha // maling tapbu dipikul dijujung digalas, lima kupang dandanya // jaka dimakan dipahanynya tanamannya tanamkan, sabatang di kiri sabatang di kanan dikapit, diganggam sabatang di kiri

Page 102:
sabatang di kanan .. dibawa pulang tida dusanya makan tabu itu
maling birah kaladi hubi tuba
dipahamba dwa puluh dwa lapan hari,
tida handak dipahamba, lima mas
dandanya // maling bunga sirih pinang orang
atawa sasanginya, dwa puluh dwa lapan haPage 103
ri d(i)pahamba, tida handak dipahamba lima mas dandanya // maling padi satahil sapaha dandanya // maling hubi
bajujungngan lima kupang, yang tida bajujungngan lima mas dandanya // maling tallur hayam itik prapati ditumbuk tujuh tumbuk lima tumbuk orang maPage 104:
nangah-i, dwa tumbuk tuhannya mukanya
dihusap dangan tahi hayam tida tarisi sakYan tangah tiga mas dandanya //
maling isi jarrat, anjing sikur ya piso
rawut sahalai dandanya // maling
pulut isi pulut langnga satapaiyan dandanya, tida tarisi tangah tiga
Page 105:
mas dandanya // maling kayin, babat bajeo22 distar pari rupanya,
sapuluh mas dandanya // maling basi
babajan lima mas dandanya // maling
kuraisani lima mas // maling labaja tupang, sapuluh mas dandanya, tida tarisi dibunuh // orang maru-

Page 106:
gul si dandanya // orang maragang dwa tahil sapaha, tida tarisi sakYan dibunuh // maling hampangan
tuwak saparah odang sadulang biyuku sikur, babi hutan sikur
tida tarisi sakYan sapuluh mas
dandanya // maling takalak panyaliPage 107:
n hijuk lima kupang // panyalin
mano rutan lima mas // panyalin hakar sapuluh mas // maling antilingngnan23 lima mas // maling pukat jala, tangkul, pasap, tal.ay, gitrang, lima mas dandanya, mambakar dangau, babinama24 dangu pakaPage 108:
rangan orang, babinasa talla lenay panaleyyan nurang, hatap dinding lantai rangau, lima mas dandanya // punarapi jaka bahutang mas
pirak riti rancung kangca25 tambaga silamanya batiga puhun // singgan
sapaha hayik mas manikal //
jaka bahutang barras padi, jawa, jaPage 109:
gung hanjalai, dwa tahun katiga jamba barruk, labih dwa tahun katiga
hingganya manikal // punarapi
jaka orang mambawa parahurang, tida disalangnya, hilang pacah binasa,
dwa mas dandanya // jaka ya disallang…
hilang ta ya pacah binasa saraga

…

You can read further in the link given at the top of the page

….

Reference

THE TANJUNG TANAH CODE OF LAW

Tanjung Tanah – Ulrich Kozok

Click to access tanjungtanah.pdf

Reference

…

…

Sometimes I wonder?

What happened during the year 600, 700, 900,1000 up till 1400 before Melaka? the Tanjung Tanah
Law Book is the oldest Malay manuscript in the world and the only Malay manuscript
that still exists today.

Tanjung Tanah manuscript contained 34 pages in which 32 of them is a codex
written in Kawi script and the last 2 pages are written in Incung letter, both are a
form of Post-Pallawa script developed in the pre-Islamic era in Nusantara region

…

Sekilas

The Golden Link: Gold, Power, and the Oldest Malay Manuscript

Introduction

The history of the Malay world is often told through the lens of Islamic sultanates and colonial trade. However, beneath the layers of time—preserved in the humid highlands of Sumatra—lies evidence of a much older, sophisticated civilization. From the 7th to the 14th centuries, the Buddhist kingdom of Srivijaya and its successor, Malayu, functioned as the “toll booths” of the East, controlling the vital Strait of Melaka.

Recent discoveries, specifically the Tanjung Tanah manuscript, are forcing historians to rewrite the timeline of Malay literacy and its pre-Islamic roots.

1. The Missing Link: The Tanjung Tanah Manuscript

For decades, scholars faced a puzzle. It was logical that a powerful empire like Srivijaya had a manuscript tradition (writing on portable materials), but almost no physical books survived the tropical climate. Most evidence was limited to heavy stone inscriptions.

In 1941, Dutch scholar Petrus Voorhoeve found a small booklet in the village of Tanjung Tanah, Sumatra. Made of dluwang (mulberry bark paper), it survived through centuries of upheaval.

The Date: Carbon dating places the manuscript between 1304 and 1370 AD. This officially makes it the oldest known Malay manuscript in the world.
The Script: It is not written in the Arabic-based Jawi script, but in a pre-Islamic Pallavo-Nusantaric script, similar to Old Javanese.
The Content: It is a legal code—a “book of fines”—that regulated daily life in the Kerinci region.

2. The Golden Age of Malay (16th Century)

By the 1500s, the Malay language entered its “Golden Age,” driven by two forces: Trade and Religion.

The Universal Language: Malay became the lingua franca of Southeast Asia. Whether you were a merchant from Europe, India, or China, you had to speak Malay to do business.
The Jawi Revolution: As Islam spread, the Malays adopted the Jawi script (modified Arabic). This led to a “book-making boom,” transitioning from bark and bamboo to paper, which allowed for more detailed literature.

3. Geopolitics: Mongols, Java, and the “Pamalayu”

The late 13th century was a period of crisis. Kublai Khan, the Mongol leader of China’s Yuan Dynasty, demanded tribute from the Javanese King Krtanagara. In an act of defiance, Krtanagara mutilated the Mongol messenger and sent him back.

This triggered the Pamalayu expedition, a Javanese military mission to Sumatra. While some see this as a conquest, others—like historian C.C. Berg—suggest it was a “Great Alliance” designed to create a united “Nusantara” defense against the Mongol invasion. Following the chaos, Raden Wijaya founded the Majapahit Empire in 1293, eventually absorbing the Malayu kingdom and merging Javanese and Sumatran royalty.

4. Suvarnabhumi: The Land of Gold

Why did the Malayu kingdom move its capital from the coast to the mountains? The answer was gold. Sumatra was known to the ancients as Suvarnabhumi (The Land of Gold). The Bukit Barisan mountain range held immense deposits:

Engineering: In Kerinci, traditional miners dug shafts up to 60 meters deep.
Royal Wealth: Historical records claim the Maharaja of Palembang once donated 600,000 pieces of gold to a temple in China.
Shift in Power: By controlling the gold at its source in the highlands, the kingdom remained wealthy even as international sea trade patterns shifted.

5. Ancient Law: A Glimpse into the Code

The Tanjung Tanah manuscript provides a fascinating look at ancient Malay justice. It was a complex system of financial fines measured in tahil, paha, and mas.

Offense	Penalty / Fine
Gambling or Cockfighting	1 tahil and 1 paha
Theft of a Goat or Pig	10 mas
Stealing a Royal Dog	1 tahil and 1 paha
Stealing Chicken from the Public	Return 3 chickens for every 1 stolen
Entering a house without permission	Death penalty (Sanggabumikan)
Stealing Sugar Cane	5 kupang (if carried away)

Conclusion

The Tanjung Tanah manuscript is more than just a list of laws; it is the “missing link” of Southeast Asian history. It proves that the Malay people had a rich literary and legal tradition long before the arrival of Islam. It reminds us that the history of the Malay world is a story of golden highlands, ancient scripts, and a civilization that stood its ground against the greatest empires of the world.

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