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{{Short description|Early settlement on present-day Singapore}}
{{Use Singapore English|date=April 2022}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=April 2022}}
{{italic title}}
{{for multi|the [[sovereign wealth fund]] based in Singapore named after this settlement|Temasek (company)|the area in Bandar Seri Begawan, Brunei|Kampong Tumasek}}
[[File:Mao Kun map - Singapore.png|thumb|400px|Part of [[Mao Kun map]] from [[Wubei Zhi]] which is based on the early 15th century navigation maps of [[Zheng He]] showing ''Temasek'' (淡馬錫) at the top left.]]

'''''Temasek''''' ({{IPAc-en|ipa|t|ə|ˈ|m|ɑː|s|eɪ|k}} {{respell|tə|MAH|sayk}} or {{IPAc-en|-|ɪ|k}} {{respell|tə|MAH|sikk}}, also spelt '''''Temasik''''' or '''''Tumasik''''') is an early recorded name of a settlement on the site of modern [[Singapore]]. The name appears in early [[Malay language|Malay]] and [[Javanese language|Javanese literature]], and it is also recorded in [[Yuan dynasty|Yuan]] and [[Ming dynasty|Ming]] Chinese documents as 單馬錫 ({{zh|p=Dānmǎxī|poj=Tan-má-sek}}) or 淡馬錫 ({{zh|p=Dànmǎxī|poj=Tām-má-sek}}). Two distinct settlements were recorded in ''Temasek'' – ''[[Long Ya Men]]'' (Malay: ''Batu Berlayar'') and ''[[Ban Zu]]'' (Malay: ''Pancur'').  The name ''Temasek'' continues to feature prominently in modern Singapore, particularly in the names of [[orders, decorations, and medals of Singapore|national honours]], institutions, schools and corporations.

==Name==
The origin of the name ''Temasek'' was derived from the Malay word ''tasik'' meaning "lake" or "sea", and may mean here "place surrounded by the sea",<ref>{{cite book |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=bMt3BgAAQBAJ&pg=PA183 |title=Singapore and the Silk Road of the Sea, 1300–1800|author= John N. Miksic |publisher=NUS Press |date=15 November 2013|isbn= 978-9971-69-574-3|pages=183–184 }}</ref> or Sea Town. Another suggestion is that it may be a reference to a king of [[Srivijaya]], Maharaja ''Tan ma sa na ho''.<ref name="toponym">{{cite book |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=DTOJAAAAQBAJ&pg=PA381 |title=Singapore Street Names: A Study of Toponymics|author=Victor R Savage |author2=Brenda Yeoh |publisher=Marshall Cavendish |date= 15 June 2013 |isbn=978-981-4484-74-9 |page=381}}</ref> The name appears as ''Tumasik'' in the [[Nagarakretagama]], an [[Javanese language|Old Javanese]] eulogy written in 1365, and may be analysed as the word ''tasik'' "sea" infixed by ''-um-'' (active verb infix). The name is also mentioned twice in the ''[[Malay Annals]]'' and referred to in the Javanese work ''[[Pararaton]]''. ''Temasek'' is described in the account by the Chinese traveller [[Wang Dayuan]] who visited the island around 1330 and wrote about a [[Malay people|Malay]] settlement called ''Danmaxi'', a transcription of the name ''Temasek''. In a version of [[Marco Polo]]'s account of his travel, a place named ''Chiamassie'' that could be Temasik was mentioned in relation to the island kingdom of ''Malayur''.<ref name="toponym"/> ''Temasek'' may have also been mentioned in Vietnamese records as ''Sach Ma Tich'' in the 14th century.<ref>{{cite book |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=bMt3BgAAQBAJ&pg=PA181 |title=Singapore and the Silk Road of the Sea, 1300–1800|author= John N. Miksic |publisher=NUS Press |date=15 November 2013|isbn= 978-9971-69-574-3|pages=181–182 }}</ref>

George Henrik Werndly, writing in 1736, provided another explanation of ''Temasek'''s origin and meaning. Citing Petrus van der Vorm, he claimed that the Malay word was itself from an Arabic expression ''Tamasûkh'' ( تمسوق ), a composite of ''tama'' (تم), and ''sûkh'' ( سوق ), meaning "market", "marketplace" or "place of purchase". ''Tamasûkh'' was a play on Ujong Tanah ("end of land"), which aptly describes Singapore's special position at the end of both the [[Malay Peninsula]], as well as an imaginary line conceived by navigators to divide the [[Indian Ocean]] between the "lands above the wind", that is India and the Middle East and the "lands below the wind", the islands of the [[Malay Archipelago]].<ref>{{cite book |url=https://www.google.com.sg/books/edition/Decoding_Sejarah_Melayu_The_Hidden_Histo/_X0wEAAAQBAJ |title=Decoding Sejarah Melayu: The Hidden History of Ancient Singapore|author= Jason Heng|date=28 May 2021|isbn= 979-8201638450}}</ref><ref>{{cite book |url=https://www.google.com.sg/books/edition/Maleische_Spraakkunst_uit_de_eige_schrif/w_wdvBlSc7wC |title=Maleische spraakkunst: uit de eige schriften der Maleiers opgemaakt|author= G.H. Werndly|date=1736 |page=xxv}}</ref>

Sometime in the 14th century, the name ''Temasek'' was replaced by [[Kingdom of Singapura|Singapura]], a Malay name derived from [[Sanskrit]] which means "Lion City". Legend has it that the name was given by [[Sang Nila Utama]] when he visited the island in 1299 and saw an unknown creature, which he was informed was a [[lion]]. Although Chinese records continued to use the name ''Temasek'' for some time afterwards (for example in the [[Mao Kun map]]) and it was also used in The ''Malay Annals'', the name ''Temasek'' had become obsolete and did not appear in European maps and documents from 1500 to 1800.<ref name="iberian">{{cite book |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=ggyl2FSzXvgC&pg=PA98 |title=Iberians in the Singapore-Melaka Area and Adjacent Regions (16th to 18th Century)|editor= Peter Borschberg |publisher= Harrassowitz |date=December 2004|isbn= 978-3-447-05107-1|pages=98–99 }}</ref> It was revived in colonial and more modern times, and is now used as names for institutions, corporations and national honours of the present-day [[Republic of Singapore]].

==History==
{{Early history of Singapore}}
While the early [[history of Singapore]] is obscured by myth and legend, some conclusions can be drawn from [[Archaeology|archaeological]] evidence and from written references by travellers. Archaeology points to an urbanised settlement on the site by the 14th century. At its height, the city boasted a large earthen [[city wall]] and [[moat]]; many of the buildings were built with stone and brick foundations. Remains of old pottery, coins, jewellery and other artefacts have been found, with many of these artefacts believed to be imported from various parts of China, India, [[Sri Lanka]], and [[Indonesia]]. These are sometimes seen as evidence of the city's status as a regional trade centre. An aquatic route, part of the larger [[Silk Road|Silk route]], passed through ''Temasek''.

From the 7th to the 11th centuries, the island of Singapore was controlled by the [[Srivijaya]] empire based in [[Sumatra]]. Diplomatic relationships between ''Temasek'' and Vietnam may have begun in the 13th century.<ref>{{cite book |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=bMt3BgAAQBAJ&pg=PA181 |title=Singapore and the Silk Road of the Sea, 1300–1800|author1-link=John N. Miksic |author= John N. Miksic |publisher=NUS Press |date=15 November 2013|isbn= 978-9971-69-574-3|pages=181–182 }}</ref> ''Temasek'' was a fortified city and trading centre in the 14th century. It was recorded that during the [[Yuan dynasty]], envoys were sent to ''[[Long Ya Men]]'' (''Dragon's Teeth Gate'', thought to be the entrance of [[Keppel Harbour]]) in 1320 to obtain tame elephants. The people of ''Long Ya Men'' then returned in 1325 with a tribute and trade mission to China.<ref>{{cite book |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=nSqXGSinwP4C&pg=PA1 |title =Singapore: The Unexpected Nation |author= Edwin Lee |pages=1–2 |publisher=Institute of Southeast Asian Studies |date=15 October 2008|isbn= 978-981-230-796-5 }}</ref> In around 1330, the Chinese traveller [[Wang Dayuan]] visited the island and mentioned two distinct settlements in ''Temasek'': ''Long Ya Men'' and ''[[Ban Zu]]'' (a [[Transcription into Chinese characters|transcription]] of the Malay name ''pancur'' meaning a "spring").<ref>{{cite book |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=8NJ3BgAAQBAJ&pg=PA216 |title=Singapore and the Silk Road of the Sea, 1300_1800|author= John Miksic |publisher=NUS Press |date=15 November 2013|isbn= 978-9971-69-574-3|page=216 }}</ref> In his work ''[[Daoyi Zhilüe]]'', Wang described ''Long Ya Men'' as the two hills of ''Temasek'' that looked like "Dragon's teeth" between which a strait runs, and wrote:
{{quote|The fields are barren and there is little [[Paddy field|padi]] &nbsp;...&nbsp; In ancient times, when digging in the ground, a chief came upon a jewelled head-dress.  The beginning of the year is calculated from the [first] rising of the moon, when the chief put on this head-gear and wore his [ceremonial] dress to receive the congratulations [of the people]. Nowadays this custom is still continued.  The natives and Chinese dwell side by side.  Most [of the natives] gather their hair into a [[Chignon (hairstyle)|chignon]], and wear short cotton [[Baju Melayu|baju]]s girded about with black cotton [[sarong]]s.|Wang Dayuan|translation by [[Paul Wheatley (geographer)|Paul Wheatley]].<ref>{{cite web |url=https://zh.wikisource.org/wiki/%E5%B3%B6%E5%A4%B7%E8%AA%8C%E7%95%A5 |title=島夷誌略: 龍牙門 }} Full original text: 門以單馬錫番兩山，相交若龍牙狀，中有水道以間之。田瘠稻少。天氣候熱，四五月多淫雨。俗好劫掠。昔酋長掘地而得玉冠。歲之始，以見月為正初，酋長戴冠披服受賀，今亦遞相傳授。男女兼中國人居之。多椎髻，穿短布衫。繫靑布捎。 地產粗降眞、斗錫。貿易之貨，用赤金、靑緞、花布、處甆器、鐵鼎之類。蓋以山無美材，貢無異貨。以通泉州之貨易，皆剽竊之物也。舶往西洋，本番置之不問。回船之際，至吉利門，舶人須駕箭稝，張布幕，利器械以防之。賊舟二三百隻必然來迎，敵數日。若僥倖順風，或不遇之。否則人為所戮，貨為所有，則人死係乎頃刻之間也。</ref><ref name="wheatley">{{cite book|author=Paul Wheatley|author-link=w:Paul Wheatley (geographer)|title=The Golden Khersonese: Studies in the Historical Geography of the Malay Peninsula before A.D. 1500|url=https://archive.org/details/goldenkhersonese0000unse|url-access=registration|location=Kuala Lumpur|publisher=[[w:University of Malaya|University of Malaya Press]]|year=1961|oclc=504030596|pages= [https://archive.org/details/goldenkhersonese0000unse/page/82 82]–83}}</ref>}}

Wang further mentioned that [[lakawood]] and tin were products there and the natives traded with Chinese from [[Quanzhou]], but Chinese [[junks]] on their way back from the Western Oceans (西洋) may be met by pirates there who attacked with two to three hundred [[perahu]]s (boats).  The description of the people may be the first known record of the [[Orang Laut]] who inhabited the region.<ref name="wheatley"/>

''[[Ban Zu]]'' was described as being sited on a hill, thought to be today's [[Fort Canning Hill]], located behind ''Long Ya Men''. In contrast to those of ''Long Ya Men'' who were prone to acts of piracy, the inhabitants here were described as honest.  They also "wear their hair short, with turban of gold-brocaded satin", and red-coloured clothing.<ref>{{cite book|author=Paul Wheatley|author-link=w:Paul Wheatley (geographer)|title=The Golden Khersonese: Studies in the Historical Geography of the Malay Peninsula before A.D. 1500|url=https://archive.org/details/goldenkhersonese0000unse|url-access=registration|location=Kuala Lumpur|publisher=[[w:University of Malaya|University of Malaya Press]]|year=1961|oclc=504030596|pages= [https://archive.org/details/goldenkhersonese0000unse/page/83 83]–84}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=https://zh.wikisource.org/wiki/%E5%B3%B6%E5%A4%B7%E8%AA%8C%E7%95%A5 |title=島夷誌略: 班卒}} Full original text: 地勢連龍牙門後山，若纏若斷，起凹峯而盤結，故民環居焉。田瘠，穀少登。氣候不齊，夏則多雨而微寒。俗質，披短髮，緞錦纏頭，紅油布繫身。煮海為鹽，釀米為酒，名明家西。有酋長。地產上等鶴頂、中等降眞、木綿花。貿易之貨，用絲布、鐵條、土印布、赤金、甆器、鐵鼎之屬。 (There may be slight variations in different sources)</ref> Ruins of the settlement on the hill were still visible in the early 19th century and was described by the Resident [[John Crawfurd]].  In 1928, several pieces of gold ornaments dating to the mid-14th century were discovered at Fort Canning Hill.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.worldoftemasek.com/index.php/article/archaeology |title=The Archaeology |work=World of Temasek |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170215142455/http://www.worldoftemasek.com/index.php/article/archaeology |archive-date=15 February 2017 }}</ref> Wang also reported that the Siamese attacked the city moat of ''Temasek'' with around 70 ships a few years before he visited, and the city successfully resisted the attack for a month.<ref>{{cite book |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=bMt3BgAAQBAJ&pg=PA356 |title=Singapore and the Silk Road of the Sea, 1300–1800|author= John Miksic |publisher=NUS Press |date=15 November 2013|isbn= 978-9971-69-574-3|page=356 }}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=https://zh.wikisource.org/wiki/%E5%B3%B6%E5%A4%B7%E8%AA%8C%E7%95%A5 |title=島夷誌略: 暹}} Original text: 近年以七十餘艘來侵單馬錫，攻打城池，一月不下。本處閉關而守，不敢與爭。遇爪哇使臣經過，暹人聞之乃遁，遂掠昔里而歸。</ref>

By the 14th century, the Srivijaya empire had declined, and the [[Majapahit]] and [[Ayutthaya Kingdom]] became dominant in the region and alternatively made claim to ''Temasek''. The [[Nagarakretagama]] written in 1365 listed ''Tumasik'' as a vassal of the Majapahit.<ref>{{cite book |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=nSqXGSinwP4C&pg=PA2 |title =Singapore: The Unexpected Nation |author= Edwin Lee |page=2 |publisher=Institute of Southeast Asian Studies |date=15 October 2008|isbn= 978-981-230-796-5 }}</ref> Portuguese sources indicate that during the late 14th century, ''Temasek'' was a Siamese vassal whose ruler was killed by [[Parameswara (sultan)|Parameswara]] from Palembang.<ref>{{cite book |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=bMt3BgAAQBAJ&pg=PA162 |title=Singapore and the Silk Road of the Sea, 1300–1800|author= John N. Miksic |publisher=NUS Press |date=15 November 2013|isbn= 978-9971-69-574-3|pages=162–163 }}</ref> Parameswara was driven from Palembang by the Javanese after Parameswara challenged the Majapahit by setting up a lion throne that symbolised a revival of Palembang's claim over the Srivijaya empire.<ref>{{cite book |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=Y9yvBgAAQBAJ&pg=PA21 |title=A History of Modern Singapore, 1819–2005 |author= C.M. Turnbull |author-link = Mary Turnbull | page=21 |publisher=NUS Press |date=30 October 2009|isbn= 978-9971-69-430-2 }}</ref> According to a Portuguese account, Parameswara fled to ''Temasek'', and eight days later killed the local chief with the title Sang Aji, named Sangesinga in a later account.<ref>{{cite book |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=bMt3BgAAQBAJ&pg=PA156 |title=Singapore and the Silk Road of the Sea, 1300–1800|author= John N. Miksic |publisher=NUS Press |date=15 November 2013|isbn= 978-9971-69-574-3|pages=155–156 }}</ref> It has been proposed that ''Temasek'' changed its name to ''Singapura'' in this period rather than in 1299 as suggested by the legend of [[Sang Nila Utama]] given in the ''[[Malay Annals]]''.<ref name="turnbull">{{cite book |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=Y9yvBgAAQBAJ&pg=PA22 |title=A History of Modern Singapore, 1819–2005 |author= C.M. Turnbull |page=22 |publisher=NUS Press |date=30 October 2009|isbn= 978-9971-69-430-2 }}</ref>

Portuguese sources indicate that Parameswara ruled ''Singapura'' for five years, he was then attacked by either the [[Majapahit Empire|Majapahit]] or the Siamese, forcing him to move on to [[Melaka]] where he founded the [[Sultanate of Malacca]].<ref>{{cite book |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=bMt3BgAAQBAJ&pg=PA162 |title=Singapore and the Silk Road of the Sea, 1300–1800|author= John N. Miksic |publisher=NUS Press |date=15 November 2013|isbn= 978-9971-69-574-3|pages=155–163 }}</ref> ''Singapura'' came under the influence of the Malacca in the 15th century and, after the fall of Malacca to the Portuguese, the control of the [[Malay states|Malay]] [[Sultanate of Johor]] in the 16th century. A settlement there was finally burnt to the ground by the Portuguese in 1613 and the island sank into obscurity for two hundred years until the early 19th century with the arrival of [[Stamford Raffles]], a British [[Colonial Office|colonial official]].<ref name="uslcPrecolonial">{{cite web | title = Singapore – Precolonial Era | url = http://countrystudies.us/singapore/3.htm | publisher = U.S. Library of Congress | access-date = 18 June 2006 }}</ref>

===Doubts over identification with ''Longyamen''===
The Mao Kun map shows on the position of the [[Strait of Singapore]], a navigational route and instructions for sailing from ''Longyamen'' to [[Pedra Branca, Singapore|Pedra Branca]]. In addition, it marks the name ''Longyamen'' on what appears to be [[Lingga Island]], off the [[Sumatra]]n east coast. Supported by the testimony of Fei Xin, who sailed on four occasions with Zheng He, that ''Longyamen'' was situated to the north-west of Sanfoqi, a polity believed to be [[Palembang]], W.P. Groeneveldt believed ''Longyamen'' was the Strait of Lingga.<ref>{{cite book |last=Groeneveldt|first=W.P. |date=1876|title=Miscellaneous Papers Relating To Indo-China and the Indian Archipelago. Second Series (Vol. 1)|publisher=National Library Board, Singapore. |pages=191–231 |chapter=Notes on the Malay Archipelago and Malacca}}</ref>  

J.V.G. Mills, who questioned the association of Keppel Harbour with ''Longyamen'', carefully compared the sailing instructions on the Mao Kun Map with corresponding directions given in relevant itineraries found in three Ming era Chinese rutters, namely Shun Feng Xiang Song (順風相送, “Fair Winds for Escort”, dated circa 1430), Bing Qian (兵鈐, Military Manual, dated 1674) and Dong Xi Yang Kao (東西洋考, “A Study of the Eastern and Western Oceans”, dated 1617). Mill’s conclusion was that the Longyamen was the main Singapore Strait, and not [[Keppel Harbour]].<ref>{{cite book |url=https://www.google.com.sg/books/edition/Ying_Yai_Sheng_Lan/DjQ9AAAAIAAJ |title=Ying-yai sheng-lan: ‘The overall survey of the ocean’s shores’ (1433) |author= J.V.G. Mills |date=1996|isbn= 9789748496788}}</ref> This is precisely as drawn on the Mao Kun Map.

Significantly the instructions from Shun Feng Xiang Song and Dong Xi Yang Kao referred to a ''Temasek Gate'' (淡馬錫門) by which vessels passed no matter if they were sailing in and out of ''Longyamen'' from [[Great Karimun|Karimun]] or Pedra Branca. Wang Dayuan's actual words were that "''Longyamen'' is intersected with two mountains belonging to the ''Temasek'' natives, akin to a dragon teeth-like formation, with a water channel running through the middle". Teochews settlers who first came to Singapore in 1819 referred to the [[Telok Blangah]] area by Keppel Harbour as Sek-lak-mung (石叻門), meaning the "Gate of Selat", or the "Gate of the Strait". This shows ''Temasek Gate'' was Keppel Harbour and supports that ''Longyamen'' was the main Strait of Singapore. Moreover, Wang Dayuan's writing was clear that the "dragon teeth" were mountains/hills, and not rocks.<ref>{{cite book|url=https://www.google.com.sg/books/edition/Decoding_Sejarah_Melayu_The_Hidden_Histo/_X0wEAAAQBAJ |title=Decoding Sejarah Melayu: The Hidden History of Ancient Singapore|author= Jason Heng|date=28 May 2021|isbn= 979-8201638450}}</ref>

==Singapore's national honours==
The Republic's two most important national honours are titled [[Bintang Temasek]] (''The Star of Temasek'' for acts of exceptional courage and skill or exhibiting conspicuous devotion to duty in circumstances of extreme danger) and the [[Darjah Utama Temasek]] (''Order of Temasek'', for outstanding and exceptional contributions to the country).

Other institutions that bear the name:
* [[Temasek Holdings]]
* [[Temasek Junior College]]
* [[Temasek Life Sciences Laboratory]]
* Temasek Laboratories
* [[Temasek Polytechnic]]
* [[Temasek Primary School]]
* [[Temasek Secondary School]]
* [[Temasek Tower]]

==See also==
* [[Names of Singapore]]
* [[Kingdom of Singapura]]

==References==
{{Reflist}}

==External links==
{{Library resources box
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 |by=no
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*[https://web.archive.org/web/20040219204243/http://www.hawaii.edu/cseas/pubs/singapore/singapore.html#chapter1 A History of the Lion City] – Chapter from an online textbook.

[[Category:Kingdom of Singapura]]
[[Category:History of Singapore]]