Samudra-Pasai, on the northern tip of Sumatra, is broadly recognized as the first Islamic sultanate in Southeast Asia, and coins attributed to Muhammad Malik al-Salih and his successors represent the earliest indigenous Islamic gold coinage of the archipelago. Ibn Battuta visited the sultanate in 1345 and recorded a thriving pepper trade conducted in small gold currency — almost certainly pieces of this type. The kupang denomination circulated widely enough to influence later Malay monetary conventions across the peninsula.
Samudra-Pasai, on the northern tip of Sumatra, is broadly recognized as the first Islamic sultanate in Southeast Asia, and coins attributed to Muhammad Malik al-Salih and his successors represent the earliest indigenous Islamic gold coinage of the archipelago. Ibn Battuta visited the sultanate in 1345 and recorded a thriving pepper trade conducted in small gold currency — almost certainly pieces of this type. The kupang denomination circulated widely enough to influence later Malay monetary conventions across the peninsula.