The Malay written tradition
Artist's impression of a scene from the palace of the Sultan of Melaka during the 15th century, when the royal court was the centre of Malay literary activity.
Other than stone inscriptions, Malay written works only appeared in the Peninsula after the adoption of Islam and Arabic script. At the Malay royal courts, Islamic scholars then began to produce religious works and scribes to document genealogies and current events. Letters were written for diplomatic purposes, laws were codified, and myths and legends were written in both verse and prose. Many original manuscripts still survive in collections around the world.
- Information in the full article includes
- Religious works
- Other historical genres