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The Khmer Empire Muslim Traders Who Outlasted the Devaraja
Description
In this episode of Fexingo History, Lucas and Luna explore the role of Muslim traders in the decline of the Khmer Empire. While previous episodes covered water management, warfare, and religious conversion, this one focuses on the Cham and Malay Muslim merchants who established communities at Angkor Thom and Tonle Sap. Lucas explains how these traders, mentioned in Zhou Daguan's 13th-century account, maintained independent networks that outlasted the devaraja cult. The discussion covers the rise of Islamic port cities like Pasai and Melaka, which diverted trade away from Angkor, and how the Khmer elite's attempts to control commerce backfired. Luna questions whether the Khmer kings understood the shift, and Lucas reveals that by the 1430s, Muslim traders had abandoned Angkor for Phnom Penh, contributing to the empire's economic collapse. The episode ties this to broader Southeast Asian history, noting that these same networks later spread Islam across the region.