Strait of Malacca - History

History

Early traders from Arabia, Africa, Persia, and Southern Indian kingdoms used to reach Kedah before arriving at Guangzhou. They traded glassware, camphor, cotton goods, brocades, ivory, sandalwood, perfume, and precious stones. Kedah served as a western port on the Malay Peninsula. These traders sailed to Kedah via the monsoon winds between June and November. They returned between December and May. Kedah provided accommodations, porters, small vessels, bamboo rafts, elephants, and also tax collections for goods to be transported overland toward the eastern ports of the Malay Peninsula such as Langkasuka and Kelantan. Ships from China came to trade at these eastern trading posts and ports. Kedah and Funan were famous ports through the 6th century, before shipping began to utilize the Strait of Malacca itself as a trade route.

In 7th century the maritime empire of Srivijaya based on Palembang, Sumatra, rose to power, and its influence expands to the Malay peninsula and Java. The empire gained effective control on two major choke points in maritime Southeast Asia; Malaccan strait and Sunda Strait. By launching series of conquests and raids on potentially rival ports on both side of the strait, Srivijaya ensure its economic and military domination in the region lasted for about 700 years. Srivijaya gain benefit from lucrative spice trade, tributary trade system with China, and trade with Indian and Arab merchants. Malacca strait become the important maritime trade route between India and China. The importance of Malacca strait in global trade networks continued well into centuries later with the rise of Malacca Sultanate in 15th century, Johor Sultanate, and followed by modern Singapore.