Background of Johor

The Origin of the Name of Johor

The Johor Sultanate is continuity of the eminent kingdom of Malacca Sultanate. It was founded in 1528 by Sultan Alauddin Riayat Shah II, the son of Sultan Mahmud Shah of Malacca and Tun Fatimah. The Sultanate of Johore was ruled by three families, since then, namely the Sultan of Malacca's family (1528-1699), the Bendahara's familyy (1699-1835) and the Temenggung's family (1835-till now). The early Sultanate of Johore then established itself as a vast maritime kingdom known as the Johor-Riau-Lingga Empire eventhough the Portuguese captured Malacca, the Malay civilisation was not destroyed, but relocated and flourished in Johor. Sultan Alauddin Riayat Shah II with Laksamana Tun Abdul Jamil reestablished his dominion by securing all territories under Johor in the 17th century.

The Founder of the Johore Sultanate

Johor is one of the oldest Malay states to come under the influence of the empire of Srivijaya.  The Johor name was mentioned since before the Malacca Malay Sultanate. According to the records of Portuguese travellers, "Marco Polo has sailed in the year 1292 till 'Land's End'". The same name was cited in the 1365 Javanese epic Nagara Kertagama. According to Tun Seri Lanang in his magnum opus The Malay Annals in 1612, Johor was referred by Siamese traders as Klangkiu, while Javanese tradesmen referred it as Galuh and the Arab merchants referred it as Jauhar. These three different words in the respective languages mean gems or precious stones. Consequently from the Arabic word Jauhar, the name Johor was derived and has been known ever since.