Long before Singapore, one city figured out the business model of Southeast Asia: sit on the strait, tax everything that floats past, and use the profits to become the Buddhist Vatican of the East. Srivijaya ruled the Malacca and Sunda straits for seven centuries — the original tollbooth empire.
Palembang ★ western Java Sumatra Malay Peninsula Greatest extent — stylized map 650 Rise at Palembang the 670s Yijing studies Sanskrit 1025 Chola raid 1377 Srivijaya absorbed Rise · zenith · fall The rise Srivijaya rose in the seventh century at Palembang, perfectly placed where the trade winds forced ships between India and China to stop, resupply, and pay. The formula was simple: control the straits, warehouse the goods, take the cut. Arab, Persian, Indian, and Chinese merchants all passed through — and all paid.
