Lambri

Lamuri or Lambri was a kingdom in northern Sumatra, Indonesia from the Srivijaya period until the early 16th century. The area was inhabited by Hindu population around the seventh century. There is also evidence of Buddhism. The region is also thought to be one of the earliest places of arrival of Islam in the Indonesian archipelago, and in its later period its rulers were Muslims. Lambri is generally considered to be located in the Aceh province near Banda Aceh. Its location has been suggested to be in today's Lambaro to the west of Bandar Aceh where submerged ruins of buildings and tombstones have been found, although some now associate Lambri with Lam Reh to the east of Aceh where there are ancient tombstones. Accounts of Lambri have been given in various sources from the 9th century onwards, and it is thought to have become absorbed into the Aceh Sultanate by the early 16th century. The Kingdom of Lamuri or Lambri was known to the Arabs from the 9th century onward, and named as Rām(n)ī (رامني), Lawrī, Lāmurī and other variants. The only mention of the kingdom in Indian sources appears in the Tanjore inscription of 1030 which named it as Ilâmurideśam in Tamil. In Chinese records, it was first referred to as Lanli (藍里) in Lingwai Daida by Zhou Qufei in 1178, later Lanwuli (藍無里) in Zhu Fan Zhi, Nanwuli (喃巫哩) in Daoyi Zhilüe, and other similar variations. In European sources it appears as Lambri (for example in The Travels of Marco Polo), Lamuri, or their variants (Lamori, Lambry, etc.). In the Javanese work of 1365 Nagarakretagama, it is named Lamuri, and in the Malay Annals, Lambri. In Acehnese, the word lam means "in", "inside" or "deep", and it is also used as a prefix for many settlements around the Aceh area. The first mention of Lamuri may be in the 9th century by the Arab geographer Ibn Khurdadhbih who wrote: "Beyond Serandib is the isle of Ram(n)i, where the rhinoceros can be seen. ... This island produces bamboo and brazilwood, the roots of which are antidote for deadly poisons. ...