There are however, several versions of the foundation story, some of which say that Mashur-ma-lamo (Jawi: مشهور ملامو),[1] son of the Arab immigrant Jafar Sadik, was the first king.
[3] In the mid-13th century a number of migrant groups from Halmahera settled in Ternate to escape the covetous rule by the King of Jailolo.
As Momole Matiti also soon found himself disturbed by uninvited curious persons, he in turn gave the objects to Cico, the leader of Sampalu village by the coast.
The mortar and pestle were sacred objects in megalithic cultures of Indonesia and New Guinea and probably symbolized the wealth derived from clove production.
Guna's name means "fortune" in Malay language, and he appears as a culture hero whose inherent spiritual qualities made him find the potent mortar and pestle.
Moreover, Cico, far from leading a peaceful reign, wages war on the Besi mountain whose king flees and leaves his people in Ternate.
[7] Another complex of legends center on the Arab visitor Jafar Sadik and his sons, and aims to explain the division in four Kings of Maluku (Ternate, Tidore, Bacan and Jailolo).
Mashur-ma-lamo in turn sired eight sons called Komalo, Jamian, Baku, Ngara-ma-lamo, Paji-ma-lamo, Patsaranga-ma-lamo, Sidang Arif-ma-lamo, and Sah Alam.
Jafar Sadik and some of his sons and grandsons have Muslim names, although the Ternatan elite was only converted to Islam in the second half of the 15th century.
Archaeological excavations on Banda, a center of spice trade, has nevertheless revealed that Islam probably had a certain presence there since c. 1200, so that Muslim impulses may have reached the region much earlier than previously assumed.
[13] A fathomable history of Ternate only starts with the first Sultan Zainal Abidin alias Tidore Wonge in the late 15th century, who is known by early sources.