Account of the wedding of the son of Sumatra's king

Account of the wedding of the son of Sumatra's king called al-Malik al-Ẓāhir. The identity of this king has been debated since Sulṭān Muḥammad al-Malik al-Ẓāhir is known to have died in 1326, whilst al-Malik al-Ẓāhir became an honorific title for rulers, also borne by Muḥammad's son Aḥmad (r. 1326–1360 ca.), and it was probably this sultan whom Ibn Baṭṭūṭa met (Hill 1963:15).

وشاهدت يوم الجلوة، فرأيتهم قد نصبوا في وسط المشور منبرًا كبيرًا، وكسوه بثياب الحرير، وجاءت العروس من داخل القصر على قدميها بادية الوجه، ومعها نحو أربعين من الخواتين، يرفعن أذيالها من نساء السلطان وأمرائه ووزرائه، وكلهن باديات الوجوه ينظر إليهن، كل من حضر من رفيع أو وضيع، وليست تلك بعادة لهن إلا في الأعراس خاصة، وصعدت العروس المنبر وبين يديها أهل الطرب رجالًا ونساء يلعبون ويغنون، ثم جاء الزوج على فيل مزين على ظهره سرير، وفوقه قبة شبيه البوجة، والتاج على رأس العروس المذكور عن يمينه ويساره نحو مائة من أبناء الملوك وأمراء قد لبسوا البياض، وركبوا الخيل المزينة، وعلى رءوسهم الشواشي المرصعة، وهم أتراب العروس ليس فيهم ذو لحية، ونثرت الدنانير والدراهم على الناس عند دخوله، وقعد السلطان بمنظرة له يشاهد ذلك، ونزل ابنه فقبل رجله، وصعد المنبر إلى العروس، فقامت إليه وقبلت يده، وجلس إلى جانبها والخواتين يروحن عليها، وجاءوا بالفوفل والتنبول، فأخذه الزوج بيده، وجعل منه في فمها، ثم أخذت هي بيديها وجعلت في فمه، ثم أخذ الزوج بفمه ورقة تنبول الجزء الثاني وجعلها في فمه، وذلك كله على أعين الناس، ثم الناس، وأجرى له أبوه ولاية العهد، وبايعه الناس، وأعطاهم العطاء الجزل من الثياب والذهب. [٤٦٨-٤٦٩]

I was present on the day of the unveiling of the bride. I saw they had erected in the middle of the audience hall a big tribune and spread it with pieces of silk. The bride came on foot from within the palace with her face visible. With her were about forty ladies, wives of the Sultan, his amīrs and his Wazīrs, who held up her train. They were all unveiled. Everyone present, whether high or low, could look at them. This was not their practice except at weddings. The bride climbed onto the tribune. In front of her were musicians [ahl al-ṭarab], men and women, playing [yaʿlabūna] and singing [yuġannuna]. Then the groom came on an elephant caparisoned, with a throne on its back with a canopy over it as over a palanquin. The said groom had a crown on his head. To his right and left were about a hundred sons of maliks and amīrs, dressed in white, riding caparisoned horses, and with caps on their heads encrusted with precious stones. They were of the same age as the groom and were all beardless. At his entry dinars and dirhams were strewn among the people. The Sultan sat on a raised place from which he saw it all. His son dismounted, kissed his foot, and climbed the tribune to his bride. She rose and kissed his hand. He sat beside her and the ladies fanned her. They brought areca nuts and betel, which he took in his hand and put into her mouth. Then the groom took a betel leaf in his mouth and then put it in hers, and this was all done in the public eye. Then she did what he had done. Then she was veiled and the tribune with both of them on it was carried into the palace. The people ate and went away. Next day his father assembled the people and made his son heir apparent. The people swore allegiance to him and he gave them profuse gifts of robes and gold.

912-913

1345 circa