The Oldest Map in the National Library Collection

Name: Undecima Asiae Tabula (from Geographia)
Year: 1478
Map maker: Arnold Buckinck
Type: Copper Engraving

Picture Source: National Library of Singapore

This 1478 map is the oldest item in Singapore's National Library Collection.

You can now take a look at this map, which is prominently showcased in the Land of Gold and Spice Map exhibition. It was part of a lot acquired at a Sotheby's auction in May 2012.

The map's name is Undecima Asiae Tabula or Asia Table No. 11 from Ptolemy's Geographia.

Claudius Ptolemy (90-168 A.D) from Alexandra, Egypt was at one time in charge of Alexandra's legendary Library. One of his major written works was Geographia. Geographia is about map making principles and methods and tables, with locations (latitude and longtitude in degrees and minutes) of over eight thousand places [1]. 

His work, after passing through the Islamic and Byzantium civilizations (where it was revised with information added) over the successive centuries, appeared in Europe in the early 15th century. Geographia then dominated map making for more than a century until the latest details of the Portuguese (and other subsequent European) exploration voyages rendered Geographia obsolete.

It is not known if Ptolemy had any maps in his original Geographia. In any case, renaissance scholars managed to reconstitute a series of maps from the tables of locations compiled in Geographia. 

With the printing press invented barely twenty years before, the first edition of Geographia with the reconstituted maps was published in Rome in 1477 [2], thereby becoming the first ever printed atlas of the world [3]. The map here is from the second edition published in 1478. The work of creating these first ever printed versions of Geographia was started by Conrad Swehnheym, but was finally completed by Arnold Buckinck after Swehnheym's death.  

The series of maps contain twelve maps on Asia, in which the eleventh map (hence the name Undecima Asiae Tabula) depicts India beyond the Ganges River (INDIA EXTRA GANGEM) and China (SINA). One other geographical feature, that of a peninsula, is of interest to us.

The peninsula is labeled AUREA CHERSONESUS which means the Golden Peninsula, and is typically acknowledged to be the Malay Peninsula [1].  If we look at the southern tip of AUREA CHERSONESUS, we can see SABANA EMPORIUM (Emporium means trading post). Now, if AUREA CHERSONESUS is indeed the Malay Peninsula, then it will be tempting to say that SABANA EMPORIUM is Singapore. 

However, there is nothing to prove that SABANA EMPORIUM is indeed Singapore. The fact is that it could be any number of places on the coast of the Malay Peninsula or the islands of the Riau Archipelago [1]. Speculations of the location of Sabana include Sabak Bernam, in Selangor, Kundur Island in the Riau Archipelago and Sabana River Sungei Sebina, a tributary of Johor River. Until some Roman era artifacts are found in Singapore, or any of the other locations, we will never know for sure.

References
[1] P. Wheatley, The Golden Khersonese (University of Malaya Press, Kuala Lumpur, 1961). Chap. X.
[2] T. Suarez, Early Mapping of Southeast Asia (Periplus, Singapore, 1999). p. 82
[3] Barry Lawrence Ruderman Antique Maps Inc. accessed 20150215.

When did Singapore become an island? Part III

To the best of my knowledge, 1613*.

In Manuel Godinho de Erédia's Declaracam de Malaca e da India Meridional com Cathay [1], there is a series of manuscript maps portraying Singapore as an island. These are the first instances where Singapore appears distinctly as an island on a map, instead of as a cape or promontory.  

Name: JOR: Regno. [Folio 45R, Declaracam de Malaca e da India Meridional com Cathay].
Year: 1613
Map Maker: Manuel Godinho de Erédia
Manuscript map location: Bibliothèque royale de Belgique, Brussels, Belgium. Ms. 7264.

Figure 1. (Left) Eredia's map JOR: Regno, where Singapore (SINCAPURA) appears, for the first time, as an island. Source: [2]. (Right) Screen capture from Google map of the area for reference. 

This manuscript map (Fig. 1) is oriented south-north and shows the southern end of the Malay peninsula. It shows an oversized Rio de Jor (Johor River), where the Johor Kingdom (JOR: Regno) is based along. An island labeled SINCAPURA sits at the mouth of the Johor River. Another interesting feature is the island below SINCAPURA which is labeled Pulochagni. This probably means Pulau Changi, and is the old name for Pulau Tekong.

Name: Discripsao chorographica dos Estreitos de Sincapura e Sabbam. Ano 1604. [Folio 61R, Declaracam de Malaca e da India Meridional com Cathay].

Year: 1613

Map Maker: Manuel Godinho de Erédia

Manuscript map location: Bibliothèque royale de Belgique, Brussels, Belgium. Ms. 7264.

Figure 2. (Left) Eredia's map Discripsao chorographica dos Estreitos de Sincapura e Sabbam. Ano 1604. The island of SINCAPURA appears in the southwest corner of the map. Several place names on Singapore island are labeled (See Fig. 3). Source: [3]. (Right) Screen capture from Google map of the area for reference. 

This map entitled Discripsao chorographica dos Estreitos de Sincapura e Sabbam. Ano 1604 (Chronological description of the Straits of Singapore and Sabbam. A.D. 1604) is a close up version of the the map in Fig. 1 placing the strategically important straits south of Singapore in the centre stage. Several places on Singapore island are also labeled (See Fig. 3 for details). Comparing with the map of the Google map on the right, it is clear that Eredia got the shape of Singapore island wrong. The places labeled on the coast of Singapore island facing the east according to the map, should instead be on the south side of the island.

Figure 3. Close up view of SINCAPURA island (from Fig. 2).

The map in Fig. 2 also shows that some of the current familiar place names in Singapore dates back more than four hundred years ago. Here's the list of names labeled in Fig. 3 and their modern names and identifications:

blacan mati : Pulau Blakang Mati, old name of Sentosa island. Although the location of this island on the map does not fit the location of Sentosa island. My guess is that either Eredia got the island wrong, or that another southern island bore the name of Blakang Mati four hundred years ago.

estreito nouo : New Straits. Channel that passes south of Sentosa island [4]. 

estreito Velho : Old Straits. Present day straits between Sentosa and Singapore island, where Keppel harbour is. The island on the map between estreito nouo and estreito Velho should be Sentosa island.

xabandaria : Shahbandar. (Persian word for harbour master). Settlement around the shahbandar official loyal to the Johor sultanate. The location is either near the mouth of Singapore River or Kallang basin [5]. 

Tanjon Rû : Tanjong Rhu

Sunebodo : Sungei Bedok

Tanamera : Tanah Merah

Tanjon Rusa : Tanjong Rusa. Obsolete place name. Probably present day Changi Point.

Turucan: Terusan (Malay word for Channel)

Salat Tubro : Selat Tebrau (Tebrau Straits that separates Singapore and Malaysia)

Pulo Ular : Pulau Ular (Snake island). Now known as Pulau Merambong

Manuel Godinho de Erédia (1563-1623) was born in Malacca of Ibero-Bugis parentage. Educated in Malacca and Goa, he was commissioned in 1594 as the Descobridor e Adelantado da Nova India Meridional. His assignment was to set out from Malacca to discover for Portugal, new lands south of the East Indies. However, that did not quite work out. 

Right during that time, the Straits of Malacca became a geopolitical hotspot as the Dutch became active in the region. The Dutch, allied with the Johor Sultanate, were challenging the Portuguese dominance of the Straits of Malacca. Instead of setting out to explore the unknown seas, Eredia had to help out with the fortification and survey of the region. This led to a more detailed exploration of the strategically important waters around Singapore.

This new information gained, together with the new maps drawn were eventually written up by Eredia in 1613 as his Declaracam de Malaca e da India Meridional com Cathay, more commonly known as Description of Malaca.

*Added 24th Sept.: There are several manuscript maps dating from the 1530s onwards that show Singapore as an island, but unnamed. See this entry.  

References
[1] J. V. Mills, "Description of Malaca, Meridional India, and Cathay. Translated from Portuguese with notes". JMBRAS 8, 1 (1930).
[2] ibid. Plate III, after p. 218.
[3] ibid. Plate VI, after p. 224.
[4] P. Borschberg, The Singapore and Melaka Straits: Violence, Security and Diplomacy in the 17th Century  (NUS Press, Singapore, 2013) p. 31
[5] ed. P. Borschberg, trans. R. Roy, The Memoirs and Memorials of Jacques de Coutre: Security, Trade and Society in 16th- and 17th-century Southeast Asia (NUS Press, Singapore, 2013) p. 378.

When did Singapore become an island? Part II

In a previous entry, we talked about an 'island' feature at the southern end of the Malay peninsula that appeared in many maps dating from the mid 1500s to 1620s. This 'island' is evidently not the island of Singapore. So what is it?

On closer look at some of these maps, the 'strait' that separates the island from the peninsula is more like a river or canal. One good example is the Willem Lodewycksz's 1598 map (Fig. 1). The waterway has its western and eastern termini at Muar and Paham, respectively. The town of Muar in the Malaysian state of Johor is still around and Paham is synonymous to Pahang a state in present day  Malaysia. 

On the northern and southern banks of the waterway are written R Fermoso and Muar R. R has to mean either 'rivier' or 'rio' (dutch and portuguese for river). Obviously the mapmaker believes that a river links the Straits of Malacca to the South China Sea. But what is the basis of this feature?   

Figure1. Close up look at Willem Lodewycksz's 1598 map. Full picture link.

This waterway is attributed to the presence of an ancient trans-peninsular route [1]. This route was used and known by the locals since ancient times.  This route connects the Muar river system that flows into the Malacca Straits in the west coast of the peninsular, and the Pahang river system that flows into the South China Sea on the east coast of the peninsular. On Fig. 2 is the trace of this trade route.  

One can access this route from the mouth of the Sungei Muar. Following the river upstream, one eventually reached the fork where Sungei Muar meets one of its tributary, Sungei Jempol. This place is near to present day Bahau, Negri Sembilan. At a point a few hundred metres upstream on Sungei Jempol, one can land on the northern bank and follow a dragway or portage of less than one kilometre to reach another river, Sungei Serting. Sungei Serting then winds its way through Negri Sembilan into Pahang state, joins Sungei Bara, which eventually flows into the large river of Sungei Pahang. The town at the mouth of Pahang River is presently known as Pekan, and is probably the old Paham on Lodewycksz's map (Fig. 1). 

Figure 2. The  southern part of the Malay Peninsula from Google map. The red line denotes Sungei Muar-Sungei Jempol river system, while the blue line denotes the Sungei Serting-Sungei Bara-Sungei Pahang river system. Zoom in at the red balloon where the red and blue line meet to find the Jalan Penarikan.

This dragway that connects Sungei Jempol with Sungei Serting is the famous Jalan Penarikan. Penarikan is derived from the word 'tarik', which is the Malay word for 'pull' [2]. The Portuguese who  were in control of Malacca from 1511 to 1641 knew of this dragway, as evidenced by a 1602 map by Godinha de Eredia. Near the top right corner of the map is written Panarican which connects Jompol and Sertin (See Fig. 3).

Name: Nova tavoa geographica da tera do sertam de Malaca (New Geographic Map of the Interior of Malaca)
Year Published: 16o2
Map Maker: Godinho de Eredia
Manuscript map location: Biblioteca Nacional do Brasil

Figure 3. Nova tavoa geographica da tera do sertam de Malaca (New Geographic Map of the Interior of Malaca), dated to 1602, by Godinho de Eredia. This may be the oldest extant map of Malacca territory. Shown within the black square is a Panarican that connects Jompol and Sertin. Picture source file.  

From the map (Fig. 2) that traces the route, it is not difficult to imagine how the travelers and map makers extrapolate this route, which is mainly a river system with a few hundred meter overland journey, into a major water way. This thereby creates the 'island' feature on the many old maps of the Malay Peninsula. 

So back to question of when did Singapore really appear as an island on maps? This will be answered in the next entry.

References

[1] P. Wheatley, The Golden Khersonese (University of Malaya Press, Kuala Lumpur, 1961). 

[2] Check out this video to see how the Penarikan looks like today: