Sultan Zain al-'Abadin Mu'azam Shah // Masruf Batu Bahar Sanat 11 ("Money of Batubara, year 11"). Dated to 1158 AH (1745).  20.5mm, 1.43 grams. Unpublished, but see Zeno #275615 for a lengthy discussion of this type.

Very rare. Known only from a single hoard, held in museum in Medan, Sumatra. The name on this coin might be that of Muhamad Jiwa Zainal Abidin Mu'azam Shah, Sultan of Kedah. It is possible that the small Batubaru, ruled (supposedly) by a council of notables, did not have a Sultan at all and was already a vassal state of a more powerful neighbour - Kedah State, located directly across the straights from Medan.

The Batubara (or Batubahara) Sultanate was a small and poorly known Malay sultanate located on the east coast of Sumatra, in present-day Indonesia. Almost nothing is known about its history. Established in the 17th century, it was involved in regional and international trade, particularly in pepper, tin, and other local commodities, benefiting from its strategic position along important maritime trade routes. By 19th century it was a dependency of Siak and Asahan Sultanates, and probably no longer existed as an independent state. It maintained relations with larger regional powers, including the Aceh Sultanate and later the Dutch East India Company, navigating periods of conflict and alliance. Though relatively modest in size, the Batubara Sultanate contributed to the complex network of trade and politics in the Malay world before eventually falling under Dutch colonial control in the 19th century.