Pariaman

Pariaman was a trading port on the Indian Ocean coast of Sumatra, linked to the Minangkabau highlands and to other harbours along the shore. Merchants gathered pepper from districts farther south for shipment overseas. The port's commercial position drew the attention of Aceh, whose rulers sought supplies for the trade with India and China.

Around 1575 Pariaman entered the Acehnese trading system. In the seventeenth century local leaders resisted demands that pepper be handed over when duties were to be paid at Aceh rather than locally. The Dutch East India Company later established a post at Pariaman as it extended its influence along the west coast. The English also considered the port as a base for their pepper trade before establishing themselves at Bengkulu farther south.