Aru kingdom

Aru Kingdom
كراجأن ارو
1225[1]–1613
1565 map of Sumatra with south orientation on top, showing "Terre Laru" on center-lower left
1565 map of Sumatra with south orientation on top, showing "Terre Laru" on center-lower left
CapitalKota Rentang
Common languagesOld Malay, Karo
Religion
Islam (official), Animism, Hinduism
GovernmentMonarchy
History 
• Established
1225[1]
• Defeat by the Sultanate of Aceh
1613
Succeeded by
Sultanate of Deli
Today part ofIndonesia

Aru (كراجأن ارو; or Haru) was a major Sumatran kingdom from the 13th to the 16th century. It was located on the eastern coast of North Sumatra, Indonesia. In its heyday the kingdom was a formidable maritime power, and was able to control the northern part of the Malacca strait.[2]

The kingdom was initially established as a Karo polity.[3] The indigenous population practiced native animism as well as Hinduism. During the 13th century, Islam came to be practiced alongside the existing faiths.[4] Aru's capital was located close to present-day Medan and Deli Serdang. The people of the kingdom are believed to have been descendants of the Malay and Karo people from the interior of North Sumatra.[2]

  1. ^ Cite error: The named reference Brahma Putro was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  2. ^ a b Bonatz, Dominik; Miksic, John; Neidel, J. David, eds. (2009). From Distant Tales: Archaeology and Ethnohistory in the Highlands of Sumatra. Newcastle upon Tyne: Cambridge Scholars Publishing. ISBN 978-1-4438-0497-4.
  3. ^ Slamet Muljana (2005). Runtuhnya kerajaan Hindu-Jawa dan timbulnya negara-negara Islam di Nusantara (in Indonesian). PT LKiS Pelangi Aksara. p. 15. ISBN 9789798451164.
  4. ^ "Kerajaan Aru (Haru), Penguasa Maritim yang Terlupakan". Wacana (in Indonesian). 25 September 2010. Archived from the original on 11 October 2018. Retrieved 11 May 2017.