Terengganu Inscription Stone facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Terengganu Inscription Stone
Batu Bersurat Terengganu
A replica of the Terengganu Inscription Stone at the National Historical Museum in Kuala Lumpur
Material	Granite
Height	< 89 cm (35 in)
Width	< 53 cm (21 in)
Writing	Jawi script
Created	c. 1303 AD
Discovered	1887 Kampung Buluh, Kuala Berang, Hulu Terengganu
Present location	Terengganu State Museum
Language	Malay

The Terengganu Inscription Stone (known as Batu Bersurat Terengganu in Malay) is a special stone tablet made of granite. It has old Malay writing on it, using a script called Jawi script. This stone was found in Terengganu, Malaysia.

The writing on the stone is thought to be from around 1303 CE. It's the oldest proof of Jawi writing in the Malay world of Southeast Asia. It also shows how Islam became the main religion in the area a long time ago. The stone shares a message from a ruler named Seri Paduka Tuan. He asked his people to follow and support Islam. It also lists 10 basic laws to guide them.

The stone was found in 1887 CE. It was partly buried by the Tersat river in Kuala Berang after a big flood. A local nobleman, Pengiran Anum Engku Abdul Kadir, and his friend, Saiyed Husin Ghulam Al Bukhari, discovered it. They took it to Kuala Terengganu on a raft. There, they gave it to Sultan Zainal Abidin III. The Sultan then had it placed on top of Bukit Puteri (which means 'Princess Hill').

In 2009, the UNESCO organization added the Terengganu Inscription Stone to its Memory of the World Programme. This program lists important historical items from around the world. The stone became the fourth item from Malaysia to get this special recognition.

The Story of the Stone: How Islam and Jawi Script Grew

Islam started spreading into Southeast Asia around the 10th or 11th century. As more people learned about Islam, they began to use the Arabic script for writing. Over time, this Arabic script changed to fit the Classical Malay language. This is how the Jawi script was created.

The invention of Jawi script brought a new era of reading and writing. People who became Muslim slowly started using Jawi instead of older scripts that came from India. This helped them write about their new beliefs.

The Terengganu Inscription Stone shows us how Islam spread from the Middle East. It gives us a peek into the lives of people from that time. It also shows how Islamic culture grew with new religious laws. At the same time, maritime trade (sea trade) became very important. Kuala Berang, where the stone was found, was a busy trading spot. The stone hints at how trade and people's movements helped Islam spread in the region.

Even though Islam became very strong in Terengganu, some old ways of life remained. The stone still has some words from Sanskrit, an ancient Indian language. This reminds us of Southeast Asia's past connections to India.

How the Stone Was Found

Villagers first found the inscribed stone in 1887. It was on a steep riverbank of the Tersat river in Kampung Buluh, Kuala Berang. They later moved it to a nearby prayer house called Surau Tok Rashid. From there, it was moved again to Surau Kampung Buluh.

In 1902, a nobleman named Pengiran Anum Engku Abdul Kadir and his friend, Syed Husin bin Ghulam Al-Bokhari, visited Kampung Buluh. They went to Surau Kampung Buluh to pray. There, they saw the stone being used as a step to enter the prayer hall! After praying, they asked the village chief, Penghulu Ali, and the villagers to help carry the stone. They put it on a raft and took it to the capital city, Kuala Terengganu.

When the stone reached Kuala Terengganu, it was given to Sultan Zainal Abidin III. The Sultan ordered it to be placed on top of Bukit Puteri, which was near his royal palace.

The stone stayed on Bukit Puteri for 20 years. In July 1922, a British official named Major H.S Peterson asked a Japanese photographer, N. Suzuki, to take pictures of the writing. These pictures were sent to C.O Bledgen for study. In 1923, another British official, J.L Humphreys, got permission to lend the stone to the Raffles Museum in Singapore.

The stone stayed in Singapore for 37 years. Then, in 1960, it was moved to the National Museum of Malaysia in Kuala Lumpur.

Since 1979, the Terengganu State Government has been asking for the stone to be returned home. Finally, in 1991, the Malaysian government agreed. The Inscribed Stone was sent back to Terengganu. Today, you can see it displayed at the Terengganu State Museum.

When Was the Stone Made?

The stone has a date written on it, but part of it is damaged. This makes it hard to know the exact year. The date is on the lower left edge of the stone, in the 11th line. Because of the damage, the year could be anywhere from 702 to 789 in the Islamic calendar (which is 1303 to 1387 CE).

C.O. Blagden, the first person to read the writing, thought of many possible dates. He wasn't sure if the earliest date, 1303 CE, was correct. He thought a later date might be more likely.

However, a scholar named Syed Muhammad Naguib al-Attas disagreed. He believed the earlier date was the correct one. He used many different reasons, like logic, math, language, and culture, to prove his point. He even tried to figure out the missing part of the writing.

Naguib stated that the correct date for the inscription is Friday, February 22, 1303 CE. He explained that the Islamic year 702 AH started in August 1302 CE. The month of Rajab (the 7th Islamic month) in that year would have been in February 1303 CE. By checking the days, he found that only the 4th day of Rajab matched a Friday, as mentioned on the stone.

What the Stone Looks Like and Says

The Terengganu Inscription Stone is about 89 centimeters (35 inches) tall. It is 53 centimeters (21 inches) wide at the top. It weighs about 214.8 kilograms (473.5 pounds). All four sides of the stone have writing on them, from right to left.

The writing is in Classical Malay, using the Jawi script. Most of the Jawi letters that come from Arabic or are native Malay letters have dots. However, these dots are not always easy to see on the stone.

How Jawi Was Spelled on the Stone

The way words are spelled on the Terengganu Inscribed Stone is similar to how modern Jawi is spelled today in some ways:

• Using the Letters tāʼ marbūṭah (ة) and tāʼ maftūḥah (ت)

Today, the Dewan Bahasa dan Pustaka (a language and literature agency) has rules for how to write the 't' sound in Jawi. For Malay words, they use tāʼ maftūḥah. But for special names or words borrowed from Arabic, they keep the original tāʼ marbūṭah. The stone followed a similar rule. For example, the Arabic word Jumaat (Friday) kept its original spelling.

• Using the Letter Qāf (ق) at the End of Words

In today's Jawi spelling, the 'k' sound at the end of Malay words is usually written with qāf. For English words borrowed into Malay, a different letter, kāf, is used. For Arabic words, the original spelling is kept. The stone also used qāf for some 'k' sounds at the end of words.

• Using the Letter Nya (ڽ)

The Terengganu Stone shows some special letters that were in Classical Malay but not in the Arabic alphabet. These include ca (چ), nga (ڠ), pa (ڤ), and ga (ݢ). A very special thing about the Terengganu Stone is its use of the letter nya (ڽ). It is written beautifully with three dots above it. This makes it the oldest known example of this Jawi letter.