Introduction

Because of its strategic position, the history of the Strait of Malacca before the arrival of Europeans has generated a wealth of literature, both local and foreign. The Hikayat Raja Pasai and the Sejarah Melayu are the two emblematic texts of the corpus of classical Malay literature on this subject. Following allusions in ancient south Asian literary sources, from the middle of the first millennium CE, travel accounts, indirect evidence and foreign representations about the Strait multiplie...