Minye Tujoh inscription

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Minye Tujoh inscription is actually two inscriptions in the form of two tombstones of the same grave, found in Minye Tujoh village, Pirak Timur district, North Aceh Regency, in Aceh, Indonesia.[1][2] The inscription at the grave's head is written in Arabic language and Jawi (Arabic-type) script, while the one at the feet is written in pre-classical Malay language with Old Sumatran (Indian-type) script.[1]

The Tombstone of Malikah Danil, one of a woman courtier during the Samudra Pasai sultanate

The Malay text was first translated by W.F. Stutterheim (1936) with the help of H. Djajadiningrat, and further refined by G.E. Marrison (1951) and W. van der Molen (2007);[2] the Arabic text was first done by Djajadiningrat (1936, unpublished) and by L. Kalus (2005).[2][3]

The two tombstones commemorate the death of the daughter of a deceased Acehnese sultan, and the nature of the writing is Islamic.[1] Another feature is that the day and date on the two stones are the same, but the years are ten Hijri years apart (781 H/1380 CE vs. 791 H/1389 CE).[1] Experts think there may have been a typo error in one of the years.[1][2]

The existence of the Minye Tujuh inscription shows the occurrence of a cultural transition in northern Sumatra in the late 14th century, where Arab and Persian influences began to replace the Hindu-Buddhist influences that were previously quite prominent in Malay culture.[1] The various inscriptions and tombstones found in the area after this time are all in Arabic-type script.[1] In addition, the Malay version inscription can also be seen as the earliest evidence of syair, traditional Malay poetry made up of four-line stanzas or quatrains.[4]

Text

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Arabic text

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Reading and translation of the Arabic text according to L. Kalus, as follows:[3]

A (front side)

B (back side)

Malay text

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Transliteration and translation of the Malay text according to W. van der Molen, as follows:[5]

A (front side)

B (back side)

See also

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References

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Footnotes

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  1. ^ a b c d e f g Ricklefs, M.C. (2008). A History of Modern Indonesia Since C.1200 (revised ed.). Macmillan International Higher Education. p. 4. ISBN 9781137052018.
  2. ^ a b c d Molen 2007, p. 356.
  3. ^ a b Guillot, C.; Kalus, Ludvik; Molen, Willem (2008). Inskripsi Islam tertua di Indonesia (in Indonesian). Kepustakaan Populer Gramedia. p. 65-67. ISBN 9789799101037.
  4. ^ Molen 2007, p. 357.
  5. ^ Molen 2007, pp. 359–372.

Further reading

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