Witness the Islamization of Southeast Asia Through Inscribed Stone
Batu Bersurat Terengganu, also called the Inscribed Stone of Terengganu, created in the 14th century, is the earliest evidence of the Arabic alphabet in the Malaysian Muslim world.
Inscribed stone of Terengganu (side B) (10th - 11th centuries)UNESCO Memory of the World
Batu Bersurat Terengganu
The Batu Bersurat Terengganu, also known as the Inscribed Stone of Terengganu, in Terengganu, Malaysia is the earliest evidence of Jawi writing (based on Arabic alphabets) in the Malaya Muslim world of Southeast Asia.
Islam and Sacred Literature through Jawi Script
With the advent of Islam in the region in the 10th or 11th centuries, a life based on the teachings of the Quran, central religious text of Islam, and Hadith, a record of the words, actions and the silent approval of the prophet Muhammad, became widespread in Southeast Asia.
The 4 Sides of the Inscribed Stone of Terengganu (10th - 11th centuries)UNESCO Memory of the World
Islam and Literacy
Together, with the use of the Jawi script, the Stone heralded a new age of literacy, when converts to the new faith gradually replaced the previous Hindu script with Jawi. However, it also contained a number of Sanskrit terms, a memorial to Southeast Asia’s Hindu past.
Inscribed stone of Terengganu (side A) (10th - 11th centuries)UNESCO Memory of the World
Islam and Trade
The Stone offers testimony to the spread of Islam that emanated from the Middle East, amidst the regional trade that flourished during that time, and depicts the growing Islamic culture subsumed under a set of religious laws.
Inscribed stone of Terengganu (side A) (10th - 11th centuries)UNESCO Memory of the World
Islam and Transformation of Lives
The Terengganu Stone central to understanding the political and social history of Southeast Asia and the transformation of the religious and economic life of its people.
Terengganu State Museum
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