Johor Lama

Johor Lama stands on the Johor River, within the southern Malay world that developed after the Portuguese conquest of Melaka in 1511. The Johor sultanate inherited important political and commercial traditions from Melaka, using river settlements and maritime relationships to maintain influence near the straits. Merchants and sailors moved between the peninsula, Sumatra and other islands, carrying goods through a region where access to waterways mattered greatly.

Johor Lama was a sultanate capital from 1570 until Portuguese forces attacked and sacked it in 1587. The court then moved to Batu Sawar farther along the river. Competition with Portuguese Melaka and Aceh made the movement of royal centres a recurring feature of Johor's history, while merchants and seafaring communities maintained connections across the straits.

The later city of Johor Bahru lies here.