Iskandar Muda was the twelfth Sultan of Acèh Darussalam, under whom the sultanate achieved its greatest territorial extent, holding sway as the strongest power and wealthiest state in the western Indonesian archipelago and the Strait of Malacca. "Iskandar Muda" literally means "young Alexander," and his conquests were often compared to those of Alexander the Great. In addition to his notable conquests, during his reign, Aceh became known as an international centre of Islamic learning and trade. He was the last Sultan of Aceh who was a direct lineal male descendant of Ali Mughayat Syah, the founder of the Aceh Sultanate. Iskandar Muda's death meant that the founding dynasty of the Aceh Sultanate, the House of Meukuta Alam died out and was replaced by another dynasty.
Sultan Iskandar Muda's tomb in Banda Aceh
Iskandar Muda Fort in Krueng Raya, Aceh Besar Regency
The Sultanate of Aceh, officially the Kingdom of Aceh Darussalam, was a sultanate centered in the modern-day Indonesian province of Aceh. It was a major regional power in the 16th and 17th centuries, before experiencing a long period of decline. Its capital was Kutaraja, the present-day Banda Aceh.
Slave market in Aceh during the early modern period
The execution of Portuguese prisoners in Aceh, 1588.
Alauddin Muhammad Da'ud Syah II, the last Sultan of Aceh who was active in the late-19th century
A ceramic plate made by Chinese Hui Muslims found in the Aceh Sultanate in the 17th century.