Batu Bersurat Terengganu or the Inscribed Stone of Terengganu is an important historical artifact of Terengganu that proves Islam has reached Terengganu earlier than 1326 or 1386. Wrtitten in Jawi, Batu Bersurat Terengganu was found by an arab trader by the name of Sayid Husin bin Ghulam al Bukhari in 1899 by the banks of the Tersat river after a flash flood hit Kuala Berang.
It was then transported back to Kuala Terengaanu on a raft where it was presented to the Sultan Zainal Abidin 111, the ruler of Terengganu at that time. As nobody at that time knew how to read Jawi, Mr. H.S. Peterson, an englishman who was working in Terengganu took photographs of it and sent them for transcription.
The message on the Batu bersurat mentioned how islam was the religion of the country at that time. It also spoke of the various commandments and punishments of the country at that particular time. The inscriptions was believed to be written on friday in the month of rejab, 702 hijrah or 22 February 1303. This therefore proves that Islam has reached Terengganu before the 14th century long before Melaka was founded.
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| Replica of the Batu bersurat at the roundabout in Kuala Terengganu |
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