The History of the Origin of the Name of the Island of Sumatra
The Origin of the Name Sumatra Island, the 6th largest island in Indonesia has other names namely Andalas Island, Percha Island and Emas Island. The name Sumatra originates from the existence of the Ocean Kingdom which is located on the east coast of Aceh. Which began with the arrival of a Moroccan adventurer, namely Ibn Battuta to the kingdom in 1345, he pronounced the word Samudera to Samatrah, and then became Sumatra or Sumatra, and then Sumatra was listed in Portuguese 16th century maps, to be referred to as the island this, so it is known to be widespread until now.
The original name of Sumatra, as found in historical sources and folklore, is Pulau Emas. This term is mentioned in Minangkabau folklore, namely Ameh Island (Golden Island), namely in the story of Cindua Mato. And a traveler from China named I-tsing who lived in Sriwijaya (now Palembang) for many years in the 7th century, called Sumatra by the name chin-chou which means the land of gold.
In various inscriptions, Sumatra is referred to in Sanskrit by the terms: Suwarnadwipa (golden island) or Suwarnabhumi (golden land). These names have been used in Indian texts before Christ. One of the oldest Buddhist texts, the Jataka Book, tells of Indian sailors crossing the Bay of Bengal to Suwarnabhumi. In the Ramayana story, it is told that the search for Dewi Sinta, Rama's wife who was kidnapped by Rahwana, reaches Suwarnadwipa.
Arab travelers call Sumatra by the name "Serendib" (precisely: "Suwarandib"), a transliteration of the name Suwarnadwipa. Abu Raihan Al-Biruni, a Persian geographer who visited Sriwijaya in 1030, said that the country of Srivijaya was located on the island of Suwarandib. But there are also people who identify Serendib with Sri Lanka, who are never called Suwarnadwipa.
In one of the ancient Greek texts it is revealed that the island of Sumatra is nicknamed Chryse nesos, which means the island of gold. Since ancient times traders from areas around the Mediterranean Sea have visited the archipelago, especially Sumatra. Besides looking for gold, they looked for frankincense and camphor which at that time only existed in Sumatra. On the other hand, Indonesian traders have also sold their commodities to West Asia and East Africa.
The word that first mentions the name Sumatra comes from the title of a Sriwijaya king Haji (king) Sumtrabhumi (King of the land of Sumatra), based on Chinese news he sent an envoy to China in 1017. Another opinion says the name Sumatra comes from the name Samudera, a kingdom in Aceh in 13th and 14th centuries. European travelers since the 15th century used the royal name to refer to the entire island. Likewise with the island of Borneo which is called Borneo, from the name of Brunei, the northern part of the island which was first visited by Europeans. Likewise, after the first post about the history of the origin of Indonesian names, now the admin will share more information about the origin of the name of the island of Sumatra, the 6th largest island in Indonesia which has other names, namely Andalas Island, Percha Island and Emas Island. The name Sumatra originates from the existence of the Ocean Kingdom which is located on the east coast of Aceh. Which began with the arrival of a Moroccan adventurer, namely Ibn Battuta to the kingdom in 1345, he pronounced the word Samudera to become Samatrah, and then became Sumatra or Sumatra, and
Furthermore, Sumatra was listed in the 16th century maps made by the Portuguese, to be referred to this island, so that it was then widely known until now.
The original name of Sumatra, as found in historical sources and folklore, is Pulau Emas. This term is mentioned in Minangkabau folklore, namely Ameh Island (Golden Island), namely in the story of Cindua Mato. And a traveler from China named I-tsing who lived in Sriwijaya (now Palembang) for many years in the 7th century, called Sumatra by the name chin-chou which means the land of gold.
In various inscriptions, Sumatra is referred to in Sanskrit by the terms: Suwarnadwipa (golden island) or Suwarnabhumi (golden land). These names have been used in Indian texts before Christ. One of the oldest Buddhist texts, the Jataka Book, tells of Indian sailors crossing the Bay of Bengal to Suwarnabhumi. In the Ramayana story, it is told that the search for Dewi Sinta, Rama's wife who was kidnapped by Rahwana, reaches Suwarnadwipa.
Arab travelers call Sumatra by the name "Serendib" (precisely: "Suwarandib"), a transliteration of the name Suwarnadwipa. Abu Raihan Al-Biruni, a Persian geographer who visited Sriwijaya in 1030, said that the country of Srivijaya was located on the island of Suwarandib. But there are also people who identify Serendib with Sri Lanka, who are never called Suwarnadwipa.
In one of the ancient Greek texts it is revealed that the island of Sumatra is nicknamed Chryse nesos, which means the island of gold. Since ancient times traders from areas around the Mediterranean Sea have visited the archipelago, especially Sumatra. Besides looking for gold, they looked for frankincense and camphor which at that time only existed in Sumatra. On the other hand, Indonesian traders have also sold their commodities to West Asia and East Africa.
The word that first mentions the name Sumatra comes from the title of a Sriwijaya king Haji (king) Sumtrabhumi (King of the land of Sumatra), based on Chinese news he sent an envoy to China in 1017. Another opinion says the name Sumatra comes from the name Samudera, a kingdom in Aceh in 13th and 14th centuries. European travelers since the 15th century used the royal name to refer to the entire island. Likewise with the island of Borneo which is called Borneo, from the name of Brunei, the northern part of the island which was first visited by Europeans. Likewise, the island of Lombok was previously named Selaparang, while Lombok is the name of the area on the east coast of Selaparang Island which was first visited by Portuguese sailors.
Odorico da Pordenone in the story of his voyage in 1318 states that he sailed east from Coromandel, India, for 20 days, then arrived at the kingdom of Sumoltra. Ibn Bathutah tells in the book Rihlah ila l-Masyriq (Wandering to the East) that in 1345 he stopped at the kingdom of Samatrah. In the following century, the name of the country or kingdom in Aceh was taken over by other travelers to mention the entire island.
In 1490 Ibn Majid made a map of the area around the Indian Ocean and it was written on the island of Samatrah. This map of Ibn Majid was copied by Roteiro in 1498 and then appeared naa Camatarra. Amerigo Vespucci's 1501 map includes the name Samatara, while Masser's 1506 map displays the name Samatra. Ruy d'Araujo in 1510 called the island Camatra, and Alfonso Albuquerque in 1512 wrote it Camatora. Antonio Pigafetta in 1521 first used a name close to the current name, Somatra.
Dutch and English records, since Jan Huygen van Linschoten and Sir Francis Drake in the 16th century, have always been consistent in Sumatran writing. This form became the standard, and then adapted to the Indonesian language: Sumatra. So that until now the Golden Island was named Sumatra.
source: http://asalasalusul.com/2013/06/history-asal-name-island-sumatera.html