sultanate · Maritime Southeast Asia
Langkat Sultanate
Origins
Langkat was one of the Malay states of the east coast of Sumatra, between Aceh and the Deli Sultanate. Local tradition traces its royal line to the 16th century, and the register dates it from 1568. For long it was subject to Aceh and Siak. Its seat was Tanjung Pura on the Batang Serangan River.
Rule and society
In the 19th century the Dutch recognised its rulers, who leased land for tobacco plantations. Oil was found at Telaga Said in 1885, the field that launched the Royal Dutch company. Sultan Musa and his son Abdul Aziz grew wealthy and built the Azizi Great Mosque at Tanjung Pura. The court was also a centre of Malay letters.
Decline and legacy
In March 1946, during the social revolution in East Sumatra, armed groups attacked the Malay aristocracy. Members of the royal family were killed, among them the poet Tengku Amir Hamzah, and the sultanate ended. Langkat is now a regency of North Sumatra.
Lineage
On the connections map
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- Langkat Sultanate was a vassal of Dutch East Indies1869 CE – 1942 CE
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Cite this page
- APA
- The Epoch Institute. (2026). Langkat Sultanate. In The Epoch Institute States Register. https://the-epoch-institute.org/state/langkat-sultanate
- MLA
- “Langkat Sultanate.” The Epoch Institute States Register, The Epoch Institute, 2026, https://the-epoch-institute.org/state/langkat-sultanate. Accessed .
- Chicago
- The Epoch Institute. “Langkat Sultanate.” The Epoch Institute States Register. 2026. https://the-epoch-institute.org/state/langkat-sultanate.
- Harvard
- The Epoch Institute (2026) ‘Langkat Sultanate’, The Epoch Institute States Register. Available at: https://the-epoch-institute.org/state/langkat-sultanate (Accessed: ).
Last reviewed October 2026Random state ↻