Mempawah

Mempawah lies on the western coast of Borneo, where a river descends from the hills to the South China Sea. Its kingdom drew together inland and coastal communities, and in the eighteenth century came under the rule of the Bugis leader Opu Daeng Menambun. He established his seat at Sebukit and supported the spread of Islam. Religious scholars came to Mempawah, including Sayid Alhabib Husein, whose family later helped found Pontianak.