Early Islam of Lamuri site based on archaeological evidence

Abstract

This study aims to examine the development of Islam in Southeast Asia based on gravestone data collected from the Lamreh Site, Aceh, Indonesia. Gravestones were analysed using two methods. The first was a morphological analysis and the second was an epigraphic analysis. The results indicate that the gravestones date from the 13th to 15th centuries CE. The gravestones are associated with Lamuri, an ancient toponym often mentioned in foreign records from the 9th through 16th centuries CE. Epigraphic analysis identified two Sultans, seven Maliks, one Amir, one Shaykh, one Qadhi and six other individuals without titles. The titles suggest a systematic Islamic sultanate governing system was well established. The data strongly suggests that Lamuri was a territory of an Islamic sultanate from the 13th to 15th centuries CE. The comprehensive epigraphic study provides a significant contribution to discerning the chronological data of the Lamuri sultanate over a period of 300 years. The archaeological evidence from Lamreh strongly supports the hypothesis that Lamuri was one of the earliest Islamic sultanates in Southeast Asia, beginning as early as 800 years ago.