The capital of the Muslim Sultanate of Brunei in northern Borneo, dating from the 10th-13th centuries AD. There was a defended palace and sumptuous court and large quantities of imported Chinese and Thai pottery dating from about 1380-1580. The palace was on the bank of the Brunei River and most of the town's inhabitants appear to have lived in pile dwellings built over the estuarine waters. It replaced Santybong as the major port by the 15th century.