Batu Bersurat Terengganu
The Original Site
The Batu Bersurat Terengganu or Terengganu Inscription Stone is perhaps one of the most important stones ever found here in Malaysia. It is the earliest evidence of Jawi (Arabic writing) used in South East Asia, and is one of the oldest testimony of Islam in the region.
A replica of the Batu Bersurat Terengganu (Terengganu Inscription Stone) near the site where the original was found.
The inscription is said to be written by Sharif Muhammad Al Baghdadi possibly between 702 AH and 789 AH. Sharif Muhammad Al Baghdadi is a well known religious figure known for spreading Islam in Malaysia and Southeast Asia. He was sent to the Middle East to further his education at 14 years of age. While in the Middle East, he was chosen as a religious leader representing Baghdad. He later returned to Malaysia and wrote the Batu Bersurat Terengganu.
The Batu Bersurat Terengganu has four faces with Jawi written on it.
The Batu Bersurat Terengganu was found submerged by the river bank here in Kampung Buluh (Buluh Village) with only a small part above ground. The river has since vanished but the place is now considered a historical site. A replica of the Batu Bersurat Terengganu now sits here near the site where the original stone was found while the original Batu Bersurat Terengganu is currently in the state museum of Terengganu.
Some translation in the local (Malaysian) Malay language of whats written on the Batu Bersurat Terengganu.
The very informative security personnel who gave us very detailed information of the Batu Bersurat Terengganu including what some of the inscriptions mean.
The Batu Bersurat Terengganu is listed in the United Nation’s Memory Of The World, a programme by UNESCO aimed at preservation and dissemination of valuable heritage worldwide. Should you be in Terengganu and would like to know more about the Batu Bersurat Terengganu, you can visit the Terengganu State Museum in Bukit Losong (details below), and visit the site where it was found, here in Kampung Buluh.
There is a smaller version of the Amazon Rain Forest here in Terengganu. Read more about it here.
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