Sultanate of Aceh: Map & History

History

The sultanate was founded by Ali Mughayat Syah, who began campaigns to extend his control over northern Sumatra and the Indonesia in 1520. His conquests included Deli, Pedir, and Pasai, and he attacked Aru. His son Alauddin al-Kahar (d. 1571) extended the domains further south into Sumatra, but was less successful in his attempts to gain a foothold across the strait, though he made several attacks on both Johor and Malacca, with the support along with men and firearms from Suleiman the Magnificent's Ottoman Empire. The Ottoman Empire sent a relief force of 15 Xebecs commanded by Kurtoğlu Hızır Reis.

Aceh formed the northern tip of Sumatra at the southeast corner of the Bay of Bengal. Ships from the Bengal Sultanate transported diplomats from Sumatra and Brunei to Ming China.

Economy

Aceh gained wealth from its export of pepper, nutmeg, cloves, betel nuts, and also tin once it conquered Pahang in 1617. Low-interest rates and the use of gold currency strengthened its economy. Aceh tended somehow to be fragile economically, however, because of the difficulty in providing enough surplus food to support the military and commercial adventures of the state. As Aceh lost political cohesion in the 17th century, it saw its trading importance yielded to the Dutch East India Company, who became the dominant military and economic power in the region following the successful siege of Malacca in 1641.

Culture

Aceh (Dutch: Atchin or Acheh; English: Achin; French: Achen or Acheh; Arabic: Asyi; Portuguese: Achen or Achem; Chinese: A-tsi or Ache), now known as the province of Aceh, is thought to have a substrate (underlying layer) from the Mon-Khmer language family with other linguistic regions such as the southern part using the Aneuk Jame language, whilst the central, south-eastern and eastern parts use the Gayo language; the south-eastern part uses the Alas language; and the eastern part, further east, uses the Tamiang language. Similarly, the Kluet ethnic group in the southern part uses the Kluet language, whilst in Simeulue the Simeulue language is used; however, each of these local languages can be further subdivided into dialects.