The armour of the Sultan of Brunei should be returned by a woman

[ASEAN NOW Content Team]

 

Raja Aini Rahman's residence was reportedly visited by a suit of armour in 2004.
The 66-year-old retiree refused to elaborate on how she came into possession of the armour, but claimed she needed to keep it secure and return it to its rightful owner.

Sultan Husin Kamaluddin Malik Al-Dzahir, the 16th Sultan of Brunei, is thought to have worn the armour twice in the 18th century, from 1710 to 1730 and again from 1737 until 1740.

Sultan Husin was regarded to be a righteous ruler who ruled according to Islamic beliefs.

The chain mail armour, which came with one gauntlet and a helmet, was confirmed by Muzium Negara in 2014, according to Raja Aini.

 

She gave the New Straits Times a report with Muzium Negara's name on it.

In response to NST questions, a Muzium Negara representative stated the report only described the artefacts and did not determine their validity.

The gauntlet and helmet were supposed to be studded with gold and pitis, according to the account (metal coins that were issued by various Malay kingdoms).

The armour was created from a combination of six components, according to the museum: rubies, gold, silver, copper, iron, and tin.

 

"The entire shirt was woven with carefully aligned iron hoops, resulting in a clothing of great civilisation value.
The water blossom image, which is specially shaded on the copper pieces affixed to the front of the shirt, represents its greatness, which corresponds to the greatness of Brunei Darussalam's Malay government "It was stated.

Raja Aini, who had kept the outfit for more than 18 years, had set out to return it to Hassanal Bolkiah, the present Sultan of Brunei.

 

Since then, the armour has been kept in excellent condition in her private collection and has never been publicly displayed.

Returning the armour, on the other hand, presented some difficulties.
Raja Aini said that she had enlisted the help of brokers to return the armour to Brunei, but nothing came of it.

In 2007, she claimed, a Brunei delegation lead by a man she identified as "Pehin Jamil" viewed the armour.

 

"In 2007, a group of Brunei experts in history, Jawi calligraphy, jewels, and armour validated the armour."

The NST has been unable to confirm the identity of "Pehin Jamil," although an Internet search discovered a Bruneian historian with that name.

Raja Aini is pleading with the Brunei government to return the suit of armour in honour of Ramadan.

"I simply want to return the armour to Brunei because it is their legacy, and I need to make sure it is returned to them."

 

"As trustee of the armour, I respectfully request permission to transfer the armour to the heir to the throne of Brunei Darussalam, and to complete the akad (contract) by returning it to His Majesty Sultan Hassanal Bolkiah."

"As the Malay phrase says, bagai sirih pulang ke ganggang (back to the beginning), it is only fitting for the armour to return home because it deserves to be viewed by Brunei's future generations," she stated recently at her house.

The armour, which weighed more than 30 kilogrammes, showed the Sultanate of Brunei at its pinnacle, according to Raja Aini.

"This armour is also a source of national pride for an administration that has managed to preserve the monarchy to this day."