Che Siti Wan Kembang was a legendary queen who reigned over a region on the east coast of Peninsular

Malaysia Malaysia ( ; ) is a country in Southeast Asia. The federation, federal constitutional monarchy consists of States and federal territories of Malaysia, thirteen states and three federal territories, separated by the South China Sea into two r ...

, now located within the Malaysian state of

Kelantan Kelantan (; Jawi: ; Kelantanese Malay: ''Klate'') is a state in Malaysia. The capital is Kota Bharu and royal seat is Kubang Kerian. The honorific name of the state is ''Darul Naim'' (Jawi: ; "The Blissful Abode"). Kelantan is located in the ...

. She ruled in 1610–1667. Che Siti was famous for her wisdom and descended from Champa-Kelantan-Pattani royalty. She was known as a warrior queen and engaged in battle on horseback with a sword accompanied by an army of female horse-riders. It was said that she and her adopted daughter Puteri Saadong possessed mystical powers.

Background

According to certain historical records, Cik Siti Wan Kembang was born in 1585. Her parents were Raja Ahmad and Cik Banun, both of royal lineage. Raja Ahmad was crowned Ruler of Kelantan in 1584. However, Raja Ahmad died in 1589, when the princess was only 4 years old. Therefore, Raja Hussein of

Johor Johor (; ), also spelled as Johore, is a States and federal territories of Malaysia, state of Malaysia in the south of the Malay Peninsula. Johor has land borders with the Malaysian states of Pahang to the north and Malacca and Negeri Sembilan ...

was made Regent of Kelantan. Cik Siti Wan Kembang ascended to the throne of Kelantan in 1610 AD upon the death of Raja Hussein. She was said to have resided in Gunung Chinta Wangsa, Ulu Kelantan, located approximately 40 km from

Kuala Krai Kuala Krai (alternative spelling: Kuala Kerai, Jawi: كوالا كراي) is a town located in the coterminous Kuala Krai District in southern-central Kelantan, Malaysia. During British protection it was known as ''Kuala Lebir''. It is 67&nbs ...

. Cik Siti never married, and therefore never had children of her own. She adopted

Puteri Saadong Puteri Saadong or ''Mariam'' (died after 1667), was the queen regnant of Kelantan in 1667–1671. She was the adopted daughter of Siti Wan Kembang (Che Siti), the legendary Queen of Kelantan. Her full title is Tuan Puteri Saadong binti Raja Loyor, ...

as her daughter.

was the princess of the ruler of Jembal, whom Cik Siti had close ties with.

Kijang Coins

Differing views are given regarding the origin of the Kijang gold coins. ''Kijang'' means "

muntjac Muntjacs ( ), also known as the barking deer or rib-faced deer, (URL is Google Books) are small deer of the genus ''Muntiacus'' native to South Asia and Southeast Asia. Muntjacs are thought to have begun appearing 15–35 million years ago, ...

" in the

Malay language Malay (; ms, Bahasa Melayu, links=no, Jawi alphabet, Jawi: , Rejang script, Rencong: ) is an Austronesian languages, Austronesian language that is an official language of Brunei, Indonesia, Malaysia, and Singapore, and that is also spo ...

and derives its name from the engravings of said animal on the coin. The Kijang coins are generally associated with Cik Siti. According to Kelantanese folklore, the ''kijang'' is her favorite pet and has always fond of it since young while some stories suggest that there are once an Arab trader come to her country and seeking permission to trade presented a muntjac to the Queen as a gift. She became very fond of the muntjac and taking it as her pet to the point she ordered its image to be inscribed on the gold coins of her country. Another version was linked to the influence of

Saivite Shaivism (; sa, शैवसम्प्रदायः, Śaivasampradāyaḥ) is one of the major Hindu traditions, which worships Shiva as the Supreme Being. One of the largest Hindu denominations, it incorporates many sub-traditions rangin ...

Hinduism Hinduism () is an Indian religion or '' dharma'', a religious and universal order or way of life by which followers abide. As a religion, it is the world's third-largest, with over 1.2–1.35 billion followers, or 15–16% of the global p ...

. The connection was based on the fact that the earliest issue of ''Kijang'' coins resembled the Indian humped-back bull and the bull motif was depicted on ancient Hindu coins which were circulated in the northern Malay states. Another separate version pointed out that the ''Kijang'' engraved on the coin may be a

Dibatag The dibatag (''Ammodorcas clarkei''), or Clarke's gazelle, is a medium-sized slender antelope native to Ethiopia and Somalia. Though not a true gazelle, it is similarly marked, with long legs and neck. It is often confused with the gerenuk due ...

, a species of antelope from Somalia that was brought in by Arab traders to her country and misclassified as a "muntjac". This would solve the anomaly of a deer bearing a long tail as depicted on the engravings of the coin

Jelasin Fort

Jelasin fort (Malay: Kota Jelasin) is situated in the southern suburbs of

Kota Bharu Kota Bharu, colloquially referred to as KB, is a town in Malaysia that serves as the state capital and royal seat of Kelantan. It is situated in the northeastern part of Peninsular Malaysia and lies near the mouth of the Kelantan River. The t ...

, the state capital of

. The site is approximately 4 to 8 kilometres from the town centre, in the ward of Wakaf Che Yeh. It was built in 1563 for Cik Siti Wan Kembang, her adopted daughter

and Puteri Saadong's husband, Raja Abdullah. Believed to be located on the eastern banks of the

Kelantan River The Kelantan River (named ''Sungai Kelantan'' in the standard Malay language or ''Sunga Kelate'' as it is pronounced in Kelantanese language) is the major river in Kelantan, Malaysia. It drains a catchment area of about 11900 km² in north- ...

, the fort was made from thick wood with beautiful carvings and was very famous during the reign of Che Siti. It was used to defend

from outside attacks. According to history, Jelasin Fort was attacked by the King of

Siam Thailand ( ), historically known as Siam () and officially the Kingdom of Thailand, is a country in Southeast Asia, located at the centre of the Mainland Southeast Asia, Indochinese Peninsula, spanning , with a population of almost 70 mi ...

and

disappeared after that. The condition of the fort soon deteriorated after her disappearance and the ruins of the fort is hardly noticeable nowadays as not much effort has been taken to conserve it. Jelasin Fort

Succession

Legend has it that Che Siti never died but instead "disappeared" into the mystical world, and reappears from time to time. After her "disappearance", she was succeeded by her adopted daughter,

, who was the youngest daughter of Raja Jembal.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Kembang, Siti Wan Sultans of Kelantan Queens regnant Women in 16th-century warfare Malaysian women in warfare Malaysian mythology Malaysian legends 16th-century monarchs in Asia 16th-century women rulers 17th-century women rulers