Sulṭāna Nurul Alam Naqiatuddin Syah (died 23 January 1678) was the fifteenth ruler of Aceh in northern

Sumatra Sumatra () is one of the Sunda Islands of western Indonesia. It is the largest island that is fully within Indonesian territory, as well as the list of islands by area, sixth-largest island in the world at 482,286.55 km2 (182,812 mi. ...

, ruling from 1675 to 1678. She was the second of four queens regnant (sultanas) to rule in succession.

Origins

The previous ruler, Sulṭāna

Taj ul-Alam Sulṭāna Taj ul-Alam Safiatuddin Syah (1612 – 23 October 1675; born Putri Sri Alam) was the fourteenth ruler of Aceh. She was the daughter of the sultan Iskandar Muda and the wife of his successor, Iskandar Thani. She became sulṭāna ...

died in October 1675 without children or (known) close relatives. Once again a woman was placed on the throne, namely Sri Para Puteri who took the name Sulṭāna Nurul Alam Naqiatuddin Syah. Contemporary sources give no hint about her relationship with the old sultan's family. According to a manuscript preserved at

Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia The National University of Malaysia (, abbreviated as UKM) is a public research university located in Bandar Baru Bangi, Hulu Langat District, Selangor, Malaysia. Its teaching hospital, Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia Medical Centre (UKMMC), ...

, she was the daughter of Malik Mahmud Qithul Kahar Syah, son of Sulayman, son of Abdul Jalil, son of Sultan

Alauddin al-Kahar Alauddin (Arabic: علاء الدين) is a Muslim male given name and, in modern usage, also a surname. This name derives from the Arabic ''“ʻAlāʼ ad-Dīn”'', meaning “servant of Allah, nobility of faith, nobility of religion, nobility of ...

. This would need further verification. It has been argued that the success of the mild reign of Taj ul-Alam encouraged the enthronement of yet another woman. The progress of the age of

Iskandar Muda Iskandar Muda (1583? – 27 December 1636Yusra Habib Abdul Gani, accessed on 4 January 2007) was the twelfth Sultan of Acèh Darussalam, under whom the sultanate achieved its greatest territorial extent, holding sway as the strongest power ...

had been achieved at a high cost, being arbitrary and highly coercive. The peaceful rule of the sultanas meant a dismantling of despotism in favour of an institutionalisation of law to protect subjects and foreigners.

Reign

The chronicles attribute the division of Aceh in three ''sagis'' (regions) to this queen. The ''sagis'' were known as the XXII Mukims, XXVI Mukims, and XXV Mukims after the number of districts (''mukim'') in each. Most probably the three ''sagis'' existed prior to that date. The information might rather be understood as a confirmation of the rights of the ''uleëbalangs'' (chiefs) vis-à-vis the court: every royal succession would henceforth have to be approved by the three ''sagis''. Of other events during Nurul Alam's reign, we only know that the Baiturrahman Grand Mosque and the sultan's palace in Kutaraja were destroyed by a violent conflagration, along with royal heirlooms and treasures. According to some chronicles (which are not confirmed by contemporary sources) Nurul Alam was the mother of a daughter called Puteri Raja Setia, who succeeded her as queen under the name Sultan Inayat Zakiatuddin Syah. In that case she might have been the spouse of a certain Sultan Muhammad Syah who is mentioned as father of Sultan Inayat in the authoritative chronicle ''Bustanus Salatin''.

References

Literature

* * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Nurul Alam Naqiatuddin Syah Sultans of Aceh 1678 deaths 17th-century women regents 17th-century regents Year of birth unknown 17th-century Indonesian women