BINTAN Island
BINTAN ISLAND a beautiful island of Riau archipelago.
Bintan Island first became politically important when Sultan Mahmud of the fallen Sultanate of Malacca fled to Bintan and created a resistance base there after Malacca was taken by the Portuguese forces in 1511. The Portuguese eventually destroyed the stronghold in 1526, and after a few years the Sultanate founded a new capital back on the Malay Peninsula and developed from there.
Bintan was also once the capital of the Sultanate of Johor that grew to considerable political and cultural power from the 17th to the 19th century. The island played a central role in Malay culture.
At the beginning of 18th century the Sultanate of Johor entered into political turmoil and the capital moved back to Bintan as ... [readmore]
