About Malay Annals

Sejarah Melayu or Malay Annals is a Malay literary work that chronicles the genealogies of rulers in the Malay archipelago and spans a period of over 600 years. This work was believed to have been commissioned in 1612 by the junior king or regent of Johor, the Yang di-Pertuan Di Hilir, Raja Abdullah also called as Raja Bongsu and later known as Sultan Abdullah Mu'ayat Syah ibni Sultan Abdul Jalil Syah. In 1613, the Johor capital of Batu Sawar was destroyed by Achehnese invaders and Raja Abdullah and his entire court was captured and exiled to Acheh.

Yang diPertuan Raja Di Hilir Sultan Abdullah Mu'ayat Syah ibni Sultan Abdul Jalil Syah had sent Seri Nara Wangsa Tun Bambang shortly called as Tun Bambang to ask Bendahara Paduka Raja Tun Muhammad Mahmud also called as Tun Sri Lanang on Thursday, 12 Rabiul Awal 1021, corresponds to 13 May 1612 to edit the naskhah of Sejarah Melayu which brought by Orang Kaya Suguh from Gowa.

Tun Sri Lanang was the editor and compiler of Sejarah Melayu who edited and compiled the bulk of it in Johor and completed it during his captivity in Aceh.

The original version of Sejarah Melayu was written during the reign of Malacca Sultanate in Malacca. It was brought together when Sultan Mahmud Shah fled from Malacca in 1511 A.D. During 1528 A.D., the original naskhah copy brought to Johor from Kampar. The Portuguese seized the naskhah Sejarah Melayu in 1536 A.D while attacking the Old Johor Johor Lama. The naskhah brought back to Johor by Orang Kaya Suguh.

The subjects covered in the work included the founding of the kingdom of Malacca and its relationship with neighbouring kingdoms, the advent and spread of Islam in the region, the history of the royalty in the region as well as the administrative hierarchy of the Malacca kingdom and its successor states. As the Johor Sultanate was in a state of political crisis from 1612, the sultans were desperate for political legitimacy and political reasons motivated them to take liberties with their genealogy and historical dating.

The manuscripts were originally written in the classical Malay language on traditional paper in old Jawi script.

The Malay Annals was listed on UNESCO's Memory of the World Programme International Register in 2001.