Memory of the World; 2012 - unesdoc - Unesco

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Correspondence of the late
Sultan of Kedah (1882–1943)
Inscribed 2011
What is it
The surviving official documents of the Kedah sultanate
record the effect of growing European influence
in the Malay Peninsula. They cover social change,
economics, politics, foreign relations, education,
religion and customs.
Why was it inscribed
This is the only surviving primary source material in
Arabic and Malay script of a Malay sultanate from this
period. It is doubly significant in that the materials come
from a place where very few written documents survive
primarily because of the region’s strong oral-history
tradition and tropical climate.
Where is it
National Archives of Malaysia, Kedah/Perlis State Branch,
Alor Setar, Kedah, Malaysia
These unique records constitute the only available evidence
of a Malay sultanate prior to the advent of Western-style
colonialism. Kedah is in northwest Malaysia, bordering
Thailand, and its sultanate is one of the longest surviving
monarchies in the world. Its records provide invaluable
historical evidence of the precarious life of a state
in transition between Siamese overlordship and the
British intervention in the Malay Peninsula in the late
19th century.
Originating from the Royal Palace, the highest seat
of administration in the state of Kedah, the records
reflect the unified authority wielded by the Palace in all
matters relating to Kedah state administration. The Palace
traditionally had total influence on all aspects of the life
of the people. Its influence, however was seen to be waning
by this time, as it was no longer able to control the destiny
of the state on account of the need to submit to foreign
powers far superior in might.
The archives, which are bound in fourteen volumes,
comprise 2951 copies of original letters which are
penned in Jawi (Malay written in an Arabic script). They
consist of official records and correspondence from the
Kedah Royal Palace. These manuscripts date back to
1882 to the reign of Sultan Abdul Hamid Halim Shah,
the twenty-fifth Sultan of Kedah, corresponding to the
years that Wan Mat Saman served as Prime Minister.
The collection includes letters written to the King of
Siam, the governors of Siamese states as well as the
British Residents in Penang, Singapore, Perak and
Selangor. Together, the collection provides the only
written historical evidence on the history of Kedah
under both Siamese and British rule. The archives also
include the Royal Diary, agreements, proceedings of the
State Council, reports, state budgets, royal household
expenditure, letters of application and approval, and
various other matters.
The letters, written in Malay, embody all that is most
beautiful in Malay culture, civilization and language and
offer a glimpse of the complex social and political structure
of the Malay society. The language used shows the relative
rank of the correspondents and the diplomatic importance
of the missive.
Correspondence of the late Sultan of Kedah (1882–1943) 385