Temasek

Temasek, also spelt Temasik, is an early recorded name of a settlement on the site of modern Singapore. The name appears in early Malay and Javanese literature, and it is also recorded in Yuan and Ming Chinese documents as Danmaxi (Chinese: 單馬錫; pinyin: Dānmǎxí or Chinese: 淡馬錫; pinyin: Dànmǎxí). Two distinct settlements were recorded in Temasek – Long Ya Men and Ban Zu. The name is used in modern day Singapore for national honours as well as institutions and corporations.

The origin of the name Temasek is uncertain, but it has been proposed that it was derived from the Malay word tasik meaning "lake" or "sea", and may mean here "place surrounded by the sea", or Sea Town. Another suggestion is that it may be a reference to a king of Srivijaya, Maharaja Tan ma sa na bo. The name appears as Tumasik in the Old Javanese epic poem written in 1365, Nagarakretagama. The name is also mentioned twice in the Malay Annals, and referred to in the Javanese work Pararaton. Temasek is described in the account by the Chinese traveller Wang Dayuan who visited the island around 1330 and wrote about a Malay settlement called Danmaxi, a transcription of the name Temasek. In a version of Marco Polo's account of his travel, a place named Chiamassie that could be Temasik was mentioned in relation to the island kingdom of Malayur. Temasek may have also been mentioned in Vietnamese records as Sach Ma Tich in the 14th century.

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