The Hikayat Aceh - Three manuscripts on life in Aceh, Indonesia, in the 15th-17th century

The Hikayat Aceh is a 17th century indigenous history of the former sultanate of Aceh, which is located on the northern tip of the island of Sumatra, Indonesia. Written in Malay in the Arabic script, it chronicles and eulogizes the Acehnese Sultan Iskandar Muda (1583-1636; reigned 1607-1636; national hero of Indonesia since 1993). The text contains many stories about life and customs in the Acehnese courts, relations with the outside world (including Portugal, China, and Turkey), internal rivalries, wars, and (Islamic) religion. It is a unique work using traditional Malay literary styles with a rich Persian influence full of diverse information and historical detail. The Hikayat Aceh is different from earlier court chronicles in the sense that it discusses the life of a single person. Although “Malay” in composition, the text represents an older hagiographic tradition fashioned mainly after Persian examples probably commissioned by Iskandar Muda’s daughter, Sultana Safiyyat al-Din Syah (r.1641–1675). The Hikayat Aceh is an indispensable tool for all interested in the history of Aceh and its exceptional political, cultural, and religious traits.