Samudera-Pasai is the earliest Islamic empire in Southeast Asia. Strategic geography, right at the mouth of the Strait of Malacca, Samudra-Pasai became the busiest commercial city of the 13th century to the 16th century AD. Samudera-Pasai as a cosmopolitan city is also noted as a place that had been visited by a Muslim explorer from Morocco that is Ibn Bathuthah.
This kingdom has evidence that we can still see today. The evidence is tombstones scattered in the core area of Ocean-Pasai in North Aceh. One of them is a tombstone or cenotaph made of marble. This tombstone is beautifully sculpted to understand the once-ruling Sulthan. Filled with Arabic inscriptions containing the name of the owner and the year of his death. There is also a sculpture of the verses of the Qur'an in it.
This marble headstone is imported directly from Cambay city in Gujarat, India. Until now the Cambay typology tombstones in Samudera-Pasai are listed as the most beautiful gravestones in Southeast Asia.
Here is a picture of the Headstone I managed to capture in order to see it. Hopefully this short article can be useful for stemians.
