Wikipedia:Today's featured article/June 4, 2014

The Sultanate of Singora was a short-lived port city in southern Thailand and precursor of the present-day town of Songkhla. The city was founded in the early 1600s by Dato Mogol, a Persian Muslim who recognized Siamese suzerainty. From its inception, it was designated a duty-free port and vied with the neighboring Sultanate of Pattani for trade. An important trading center for tin, lead and pepper, Singora flourished during the reign of Doto Mogol's son, Sultan Sulaiman Shah, but was destroyed by Siamese troops in 1680 after decades of conflict. Remains of the city include fourteen forts (example pictured), city walls and the tomb of Sultan Sulaiman Shah. A cannon from Singora bearing the seal of Sultan Sulaiman Shah was captured by Siamese forces. It was seized in the 18th century by Burmese troops and in the 19th century by the British, and is now displayed in the grounds of the Royal Hospital Chelsea, London. The sultanate's history was documented in accounts, letters and journals written by British and Dutch East India Company traders; its destruction was discussed in books and reports authored by representatives of the French embassies to Siam in the mid-1680s. (Full article...)

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