Johor Lama

Muzium Kota Johor Lama

Chongkian, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons

B. Melayu

Johor Lama (GPS: 1.58122, 104.02009) is the old royal capital of Johor. It is located within the Kota Tinggi district, and is 27 km to the south of Kota Tinggi town.

After being ejected from Malacca, Sultan Mahmud fled to different part of the Malay archipelago, eventually dying in Kampar, in Sumatra. His son, Sultan Alauddin Riayat returned to the peninsula, and established his residence in Pekan Tua, on the banks of the Johor River. This was around 1530.

The old Johor Fort was constructed here to provide it protection. From this base, the new Sultanate of Johor launched several offensives against the Portuguese in Malacca, and suffered repeated retaliations. However, it was the Acehnese that proved to be a more formidable challenge to Old Johor's grip on power. In 1564, Acehnese forces ransacked Johor Lama and captured Sultan Alauddin whom they took back to Acheh.

After the fall of Johor Lama, the capital of the Sultanate of Johor was transferred further upriver, to Batu Sawar, which is even nearer to Kota Tinggi town. It was in Batu Sawar that Johor and the Dutch negotiated an alliance to attack the Portuguese.

Today the fort of Johor Lama can still be visited. It is part of the Kota Johor Lama Historical Complex.