Ancient manuscripts may be lost to forever
M. Uzair, Palembang
Hundreds of ancient manuscripts belonging to the Palembang Darussalam kingdom in Palembang are scattered everywhere and are in danger of being lost altogether, according to the heir of the Palembang Kingdom, Sultan Machmud Badarudin III, often called Syafe'i Diraja.
Syafe'i told The Jakarta Post recently that approximately hundreds of ancient archives, books and letters belonging to the Palembang kingdom are still in the hands of Palembang residents and heirs to the kingdom.
"We are afraid that the ancient manuscripts will be damaged because they are not well preserved and will be lost soon," said Syafe'i.
He said that he and other principal heirs to the Palembang kingdom had collected some 20 ancient manuscripts a few years ago, and were trying to retrieve more.
Most of the 20 manuscripts were partly damaged and only a few were legible, said Syafe'i.
Syafe'i recalled that he had faced obstacles in retrieving the manuscripts.
"We cannot compel residents or the heirs to our kingdom to surrender the old manuscripts to us, as we don't have a certificate of ownership of the manuscripts.
What we can do is urge them to take care of the manuscripts in order to prevent them from being damaged," said Syafe'i.
Meanwhile, Palembang historian Johan Hanafiah said that, according to his findings, some 2,000 ancient manuscripts of the Palembang kingdom had been auctioned worldwide and most went to collectors in the Netherlands.
"There are few left in Palembang, and most have been damaged," he said.
He expressed concern that Palembang residents who possessed old manuscripts did not know how to take care of them. Others had been negligent in handling the manuscripts, which would mean they got damaged in the near future, he said. "They will get damaged soon. Some keep them in safes while others keep them in wardrobes," said Johan.
Johan demanded the government pay more attention to the state of the old manuscripts, otherwise the legacy of the kingdom would cease to exist.
The kingdom has a long history. It existed in the mid-15th century. The Dutch bombarded the Palembang kingdom in 1659 and reduced its capital to rubble. The kingdom was considered important due to its strategic position on one of the world's busiest shipping routes at the time. Its position caused the Dutch East India Company to consider the independent kingdom a threat to its trade routes to and from Asia.
After the heavy attack, however, the Palembang-Darussalam sultanate was established in the following year on the ashes of the old kingdom by Sultan Abdurrahman (1660 to 1706).
The attacks by the Dutch continued in subsequent years, but they were held in check by Sultan Machmud Badarudin II until 1821.
In 1825 the line of succession in Palembang ended, and the Dutch finally instituted direct rule over the wealthy area.
Just recently, the heir to Sultan Machmud Badarudin II, Sultan Badarudin III (Syafe'i Diraja), ascended the throne of the kingdom.