Kedah Sultanate
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The Sultanate of Kedah was one of the earliest sultanates in Southeast Asia. The 9th ruler of Kedah Phra Ong Mahawangsa, a Hindu Rajah, converted to Islam and changed his name to Sultan Mudzafar Shah, he ruled the northern region of Malay Peninsula from 1136 to 1179. According to the Kedah Annals, the first Raja of Kedah was Maharaja Derbar Raja.
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[edit] History
Around 170 CE a group of Hindu and Malay refugees arrived at Kedah; they were soon followed by peoples from nearby islands and the northern Mon-Khmer region. Kedah covered the areas of Kuala Bahang, Kuala Bara, Kuala Pila and Merpah, and the inhabitants of Kedah appointed Tun Derma Dewa and Tun Perkasa as their village chiefs.
In the year 630 CE, Maharaja Derbar Raja of Gemeron in Persia was defeated in battle and escaped to Ceylon, but was blown off course by a storm and landed on the shores of Kuala Sungai Qilah, Kedah. The inhabitants of Kedah found him to be a valiant and intelligent person, and they made him the king of Kedah. In the year 634 CE, a new kingdom was formed in Kedah. It consisted of Persian royalty and Malay and Hindu peoples. Its capital was Langkasuka.
[edit] Nobat
The Nobat musical instruments of Nagara and Nepiri were introduced to Kedah by Maharaja Derbar Raja. The instrument is also called semambu. The band is led by the king, and it consists of drums, a gong, a flute and a trumpet. Today, Nobat is a Royal orchestra, played only during royal ceremonies such as inaugurations, weddings, and funerals. The building which houses the instruments and where the ensemble rehearses is known as the Balai Nobat, literally the Office of Nobat.
[edit] Kedah Sultans
This is a list of Sultans of Kedah. Dates of reign are given beside the names of each sultan.
- Sultan Muzaffar Shah I (1160-1179)
- Sultan Muazzam Shah (1179-1201)
- Sultan Mohammed Shah (1201-1236)
- Sultan Maazul Shah (1236-1280)
- Sultan Mahmud Shah I (1280-1320)
- Sultan Ibrahim Shah (1320-1373)
- Sultan Sulaiman Shah I (1373-1422)
- Sultan Atadullah Muhammed Shah (1422-1472)
- Sultan Muhammed Jiwa Zainal Abidin I (1472-1506)
- Sultan Mahmud Shah II (1506-1546)
- Sultan Muzaffar Shah II (1546-1602)
- Sultan Sulaiman Shah II (1602-1625)
- Sultan Rijaluddin Shah (1625-1651)
- Sultan Muhiyuddin Shah (1651-1661)
- Sultan Ziauddin Al-Mukarram Shah (1661-1687)
- Sultan Atadullah Muhammed Shah II (1687-1698)
- Sultan Abdullah I Al-Muazzam Shah (1698-1706)
- Sultan Ahman Tajuddin Halim Shah I (1706-1709)
- Sultan Abdullah II (1709-1723)
- Sultan Atadullah Muhammed III (1723-1741)
- Sultan Muhammed Jiwa Zainal Abidin II (1741-1778)
- Sultan Abdullah Makarram Shah III (1778-1797)
- Sultan Ziyauddin Mukarram Shah II (1797-1803)
- Sultan Ahmad Tajuddin II Halim Shah (1803-1843)
- Sultan Zainal Rashid Muadzam Shah II (1843-1854)
- Sultan Ahmad Tajuddin III Mukarram Shah (1854-1879)
- Sultan Zainal Rashid Muadzam Shah III (1879-1881)
- Sultan Abdul Hamid Halim Shah (1881-1943)
- Sultan Badli Shah (1943-1958)
- Sultan Abdul Halim Muadzam Shah (1958-)
