Kedah Port Laws from the Historical and Cultural Perspectives

This study aims to unravel some aspects of Malay culture and history that are found in the Kedah Port Laws, dated 1060 H/1650 M. It is believed that these laws served as a guide to traders including those from India, China and Europe who traded at the port of Kuala Kedah between the 17th century and the 19th century. Kuala Kedah emerged as the largest port in the archipelago after the fall of Malacca and the decline of the port of Banda Aceh. The emergence of Kuala Kedah as the most important port in the region led the Kedah government at the time to codify its own port laws. The Kedah Port Laws manuscript is regarded as the most complete old Malay port laws. This study is a text analysis of the Kedah Port Laws manuscript version Raf 77 and the Kedah Port Laws manuscript version MS 40329 and ML 25. The study reveals that there are many aspects of the Malay culture and history associated with trade and finance that are integral to the Malay identity until today.