Rajah Sulayman Monument

Rajah Suliman was the last native Muslim king of Maynila (now known as Manila) in the Philippines. He ruled over the Kingdom of Maynila during the late 16th century before the arrival of Spanish colonizers.

Under Rajah Suliman's rule, Maynila was a prominent trading center, engaging in commerce and trade with neighboring kingdoms and merchants from different parts of Asia. The city had established diplomatic relations with various Southeast Asian and East Asian states, including the Kingdom of Brunei and the Ming Dynasty of China.

When the Spanish conquistador Miguel Lopez de Legazpi arrived in the Philippines in 1570, Rajah Suliman initially resisted the Spanish colonization attempts. However, after various conflicts and unsuccessful alliances with other local rulers, Rajah Suliman was eventually defeated by the Spanish forces in 1571.

Despite the defeat, Rajah Suliman's resistance against Spanish colonization became a symbol of Filipino independence and resistance. Today, he is remembered as one of the key figures in Philippine history who fought against foreign invaders and defended the Filipino identity and sovereignty.

Sulayman – along with his co-ruler Rajah Matanda of Maynila and Lakan Dula, who ruled the neighboring polity of Tondo – was one of the three reigning monarchs during the Spanish conquest of the Port of Manila and the Pasig River delta. Spanish accounts describe him as the most aggressive of the three rulers – a characteristic chalked up to his youth relative to the other two rulers.[3][4]

He was the rajah in the Pasig River Delta era. His adoptive son, baptised Agustin de Legaspi upon conversion to Christianity, was proclaimed the paramount ruler of Tondo upon the death of Lakan Dula, but he along with most of Lakan Dula's sons and most of Sulayman's adoptive sons were executed by the Spanish after being implicated in the 1587–1588 Tondo Conspiracy. This action helped the Spanish Empire to further solidify its grip on Luzon and most of the Philippine archipelago.[4]

During the pandemic it's not the same without the fountain.

기념비

It's nestled in the mini park dedicated to Rajah Sulayman himself. He also has his fountain named after him. This can be easily found if you are walking around Malate or Manila Bay.