Kutai Lama

Kutai Lama stands on the lower Mahakam River in eastern Borneo, not far upstream from the delta. Known earlier as Tepian Batu, it was a seat of Kutai Kartanegara, a kingdom that grew along the river linking the interior to the Makassar Strait. Its court drew upon the produce of the Mahakam country while maintaining connections with the maritime world beyond the river mouth.

In the seventeenth century Aji Pangeran Sinum Panji Mendapa conquered the older inland kingdom of Kutai Martadipura, joining its name to his own realm. The court remained at Kutai Lama until 1732, when it moved upstream to Pemarangan; in 1782 the rulers moved again to Tenggarong. The old capital nevertheless retained its place in the history of the Mahakam's river kingdoms.

The later city of Samarinda lies here.