The world of the Adat Aceh : a historical study of the Sultanate of Aceh / Ito Takeshi

In this dissertation varying sources relevant to the 17th century history of Aceh are linked together for the first time. These include not only the traditional historian's sources written by European traders and administrators in the region, but also the more forgotten indigenous materials. The Sultanate of Aceh had become a very powerful Islamic state by the middle of the 16th century, and was an ardent champion of Islam in the region, and played a significant part in Asian trade. Although some light is thrown on the earlier period, the main emphasis in this work rests on the 17th century, when Aceh was extremely important centre for trade and communication of ideas. In an attempt to provide a new image of the Sultanate of Aceh, Aceh is exposed from various angles: the political framework, new light on the significant occurrences and events over a period of one century, and the membership of the top echelons of the administration. Another focal point is that of the port administration; by bringing together all information available on the port bureaucracy, taxes and duties levied on foreign trade, and some aspects of the trade of Aceh, features of the Acehnese state hitherto not known to historians are brought into view. In the same vein Islamic rituals centred at the court are examined to understand the nature of the religious establishment. The position and role of Islam versus the ruler and traditional legal practices form another main theme of this dissertation. Altogether the different aspects reinforce each other, and the diversity and developments/changes are revealed step by step as new angles are investigated. Previously held views have often been adjusted as a result of many new findings, and in other instances hypotheses of earlier scholars are substantiated.