Acheh Sultanate Gold Coins

The Sultanate of Acheh was a Sultanate centered in the modern day Indonesian province of Acheh which is located at the tip of Sumatra island.  It was a major regional power in the 16th. and 17th. century before experiencing a long period of decline.  Its capital was Kutaraja, the present-day Banda Acheh.  At its peak, it was a formidable enemy of the Sultan of Johor and the Portuguese-controlled Melacca, both on the Malay peninsula, as all three attempted to control the trade through the Straits of Melacca and the region exports of pepper and tin.  In addition to its  considerable military strength, the Court of Acheh became  a noted center of Islam, scholarship and trade.