Pahang and the Sea: exploring Southeast Asia’s maritime networks

St Antony’s College hosted a two-day international workshop, Pahang and the Sea: Maritime Networks and Connections between Southeast Asia and Beyond, on 13 and 14 November 2025.

The event brought together scholars and museum professionals to discuss Pahang’s place in the region’s trading and cultural history. The workshop was jointly organised by Muzium Pahang and the Contemporary Islamic Studies Programme at St Antony’s College. St Antony’s alumni Dr Rowena Abdul Razak assisted to put the programme together.

Her Majesty Queen Azizah of Pahang opened the event with a keynote lecture titled Pahang — The Forgotten Maritime Kingdom and the Role of Hukum Kanun Pahang in Maritime Law. Professor Raihan Ismail, Professor of Contemporary Islamic Studies, and Professor Eugene Rogan, Director of the Middle East Centre, also welcomed participants.

Over two days, speakers from Oxford, SOAS, the LSE, and institutions across Asia, Europe, and the United States, examined how maritime routes connected Pahang with China, the Persian Gulf, and Europe. Topics included the history of trade and migration; the preservation and curation of heritage; and the political, economic and cultural connections between Pahang and the wider world.

The workshop concluded with a roundtable led by Professor Amal Ghazal, Dean of the School of Social Sciences and Humanities at the Doha Institute for Graduate Studies.

Muzium Pahang is the official state museum of Pahang, located on the east coast of Peninsular Malaysia. The event forms part of its wider initiative to establish a research centre and maritime museum, which will open in October 2026. The museum will showcase the state’s rich maritime heritage and its connections across the Malay world and beyond.

We are very grateful to all those who contributed to this event, with special thanks to Her Majesty Queen Azizah of Pahang, the Malaysian High Commision, and Kulturalis publishing.