_far from the Makam Chondong and Makam Nibong. The grave 
36 AN OLD ROYAL CEMETERY AT PEKAN IN PAHANG. 
the centre was negatived by a native authority who objected that in 
that case the subsequent and less important persons buried here 
would have their feet on his head. Difficulties of this nature have 
not however troubled the present royal family whose graves at 
Kampong Marhom near Kuala Pahang have no particular order or 
arrangement. 
T believe that a careful examination of the undamaged ar ots 
of tha stones might lead to the detection of other names. I how- 
ever failed to read any and no one whom I consulted had been 
more successful. 
The only other clue to the indentity of the occupants of these 
graves is a tradition of doubtful value that in the large female 
grave is buried one Che Puan Layang who is herself nothing but a 
name. I could hear of no other traditions. 
It is certain that Sultan Mahmud was one of the early rulers 
of Pahang. He is mentioned in the Séjarah Malayu, where it is 
said that the Sultan Mahmud who lost Malacca to the Portuguese 
married his daughter, and he is also mentioned in the Bustanu- 
s-salatin’ list of Pahang rajas as being the son of the first raja 
Sultan Muhammad Shah and himself the fifth ruler. His posthum- 
ous title is given as Marhom di-hilir, 7.¢., the late ruler down- 
river. If one of the graves is really his, its date would be about the 
beginning of the 16th century. 
There are at least two other old cemeteries at Pekan. The 
‘““Makam Nibong” which lies within a few hundred yards of the 
‘“Makam Chondong” is also on a platform. There are on this 
a number of graves but all appear to be female. On one is a clear 
inscription in Arabic. It is carved however in a lapidary’s style 
which batfles the few persons in Pekan who claim to read Arabic. 
I could hear no traditions as to the date of these graves or as to 
their occupants. 
Another well known grave is that called Ziarat Raja Raden. 
It is near the river bank within the Sultan’s reserved area and not 
stones are of similar type to those of Raja Fatimah a description of 
which has already been published in this Journal. An inscription 
in Arabic which has been read for me consists of praises of God, and 
a difficult specimen of Arabic writing at the foot of one of the 
stones was recently determined to contain the name Abdulalil. A 
local Malay student of history decided that the grave must be that 
of Sultan Abduljalil of Johore who succeeded the mad Sultan 
Mahmud Shah IT of Johore (Mangkat dijulang) in about 1700 and 
was himself known as Marhom Kuala Pahang. (see Wilkinson’s 
History pamphlet pp: 53-55). This however is pure guess-work ; 
there is no local tradition on the subject. It may be noted that 
Raja Raden is the name given by Godinho d’Erédia to Sultan 
Alaedin Riayat Shah III of Johore, the Sultan who died at Acheen 
in about 1615. It is therefore a possible popular name for a ruler. 
Jour. Straits Branch 
