A brief knowledge of Salawati kingdom, the Islamic kingdom in the Raja Ampat area, West Papua. The following is a brief discussion of the Salawati Kingdom:
As an area with a majority Christian population, who would have thought if it turns out that the island of Papua also holds many historical stories about the Islamic kingdom? Unfortunately, not many articles cover these Islamic kingdoms in Papua. One reason is because of the lack of existing historical records.
The Islamic kingdom in the Papua region has three divisions based on its location, namely Raja Ampat, Kaimana, and Fakfak. In Raja Ampat itself, four Islamic empires stand the Misool Kingdom, Waigeo Kingdom, Sailolof Kingdom, and the Salawati Kingdom.
History of the Kingdom of Salawati
The kingdom of Salawati is located in the Raja Ampat area, West Papua province. According to historical records, the Salawati Kingdom has a government center in Samate, North Salawatu. Having an activity center in the city of Samate, this Islamic kingdom has another nickname, the Kingdom of Samate.
According to history, the Kingdom of Salawati was founded by a king from Waigeo. For your information, Waigeo Island is one of the largest islands in Raja Ampat.
Waigeo is located between Halmahera Island and Papua Island, about 65 km northwest of it. The king who founded the Salawati Kingdom was named Fun Malaban.
The Territory of the Kingdom of Salawati
The territory of the Kingdom of Salawati covers most of the coastal areas of Tanah Besar, Kepala Burung, Salawati island, Batantan island, and the surrounding islands. In the Tanah Besar area, the Salawati Kingdom covers the west of the Asbaken area to the coast of Katimin, which is located close to the south city of Sorong.
Furthermore, for the island of Salawati itself, the power of the Salawati Kingdom covers the Kampung Waliam area in the northeast to the Kampung Kalawal area in the west. While on the island of Batantan, the Salawati Kingdom controlled the space between the Suy river and Dayan island.
- An Essential Figure of the Kingdom of Salawati
During the reign of the Salawati Kingdom, there was a well-known leader, Muhammad Aminuddin. Muhammad Aminuddin is the younger brother of King Salawati. He is a Muslim figure who is quite influential in the Kingdom of Salawati. During his lifetime, Muhammad Aminuddin opposed Dutch colonialism.
- Salawati Kingdom’s Economic Condition
The people’s economy of the Salawati Kingdom has quite advanced at its time. The reason is that the people of the Salawati Kingdom at that time were familiar with mining, plantations, and island management. Moreover, at that time, the Salawati Kingdom was still part of the Islamic Kingdom of Ternate.
- List of Kings of the Kingdom of Salawati
No complete record explains who the reigning king was after Fun Malaban founded the Salawati Kingdom. However, based on the earliest reign date, the Salawati Kingdom was ruled by Abd al-Kasim from 1873 to 1890.
Then, in 1900, Muhammad Amin led the Kingdom of Salawati, replacing Abd al-Kasim. Muhammad Amin became king of the Kingdom of Salawati in about 18 years. Furthermore, after Muhammad Amin, Bahar ad-Din Arfan occupied the title of king for 17 years, from 1918 to 1935.
After Bahar ad-Din Arfan, Abu’l-Kasim Arfan occupied the position of king of the Salawati kingdom in 1935. However, there is no explanation for how long this king Abu’l-Kasim Arfan was in power.Well, that’s some exciting information about the Salawati kingdom, one of the Islamic kingdoms in West Papua. Hopefully, this information can be helpful and add insight into Islamic empires in Raja Ampat, West Papua.
