Palembang was the capital of Srivijaya, a Buddhist kingdom that ruled much of the western Indonesian Archipelago and controlled many maritime trade routes, including the Strait of Malacca.

It is said that during antiquity, the ruler ordered gold and diamond miners to pan their ores in the city for security and surveillance reasons.

The inscription tells of a king who acquires magical powers and leads a large military force over water and land, setting out from Tamvan delta, arriving at a place called "Matajap," and (in the interpretation of some scholars) founding the polity of Srivijaya.

The kingdom flourished by controlling the international trade through the Strait of Malacca from the seventh to thirteenth century, establishing hegemony over polities in Sumatra and the Malay Peninsula.

Zheng made the opening gambit, demanding Chen's surrender and the pirate quickly signalled agreement while preparing for a surprise pre-emptive strike.

Peace was finally restored to the Strait of Malacca as Shi Jinqing was installed as Palembang's new ruler and incorporated into what would become a far-flung system of allies who acknowledged Ming supremacy in return for diplomatic recognition, military protection, and trading rights.

[9] From the late nineteenth century, with the Dutch introduction of new export crops including robusta coffee, Palembang rose as an economic centre.

During the early 20th century, the development of the petroleum and rubber industries in Palembang Residency drove the city's economic growth.

Although the Japanese paratroopers failed to capture the Pangkalan Benteng airfield, they managed to gain undamaged possession of the Plaju oil refinery.

In August 1944, USAAF B-29 bombers flying from India, raided the Palembang refineries in what was the longest range regular bombing mission of the war.

[42] In January 1945, in Operation Meridian I and II, the British Royal Navy's Fleet Air Arm launched two major attacks on the two refinery complexes, against determined Japanese defence.

On 8 October 1945, the Resident of South Sumatra, Adnan Kapau Gani, and Gunseibu officers raised the Indonesian flag during a ceremony.

The Volunteer Team for Humanity (Indonesian: Tim Relawan untuk Manusia, or TRUK) reported that cases of sexual assault also took place.

[59] In 2015, the central government began upgrading Palembang's transportation with the construction of a light rail transit system from Sultan Mahmud Badaruddin II International Airport to Jakabaring, followed by toll roads, two Musi River bridges, and two flyovers, ahead of the 2018 Asian Games.

[63] At 2°59′10″S 104°45′20″E / 2.98611°S 104.75556°E / -2.98611; 104.75556, Palembang occupies 400.61 km2 of vast lowland area east of Bukit Barisan Mountains in southern Sumatra with average elevation of 8 metres (26 feet),[64] approximately 105 kilometres (65 miles) from nearby coast at Bangka Strait.

[65] Palembang is located in the tropical rainforest climate (Köppen Af) zone with significant rainfall even in its driest months.

Note the affixes can be translated as: "Satu" = "One"; "Dua" = "Two"; "Tiga" = "Three"; "Timur" = "East"; "Barat" = "West"; "Ilir" = "Lower" (or "Downriver"); "Ulu" - "Upper" (or "Upriver").

The local language of Palembang, Musi (Baso Plembang), is considered a dialect of Malay with a significant portion being Javanese loanwords.

Due to aging vehicles, poor security and drivers habit, all non air-conditioned public buses are ordered to cease their services inside Palembang in 2018.

Teman Bus is also operating seven air-conditioned taxibus (angkot) routes as feeder to already established Palembang LRT service.

There are 13 stations along the 23.4-kilometre (14.5 mi) LRT system, connecting Sultan Mahmud Badaruddin II International Airport and Jakabaring Sport City.

Another type of river transportation is called "speedboat", a wooden motorboat which using more larger engine and designed to withstand the speed of the boat itself, far more faster than perahu ketek.

This airport provides domestic routes that connect Palembang with many cities in Indonesia, especially Jakarta, but also other towns in South Sumatra, such as Lubuklinggau and Pagaralam.

As the capital of South Sumatra and one of major cities in Indonesia, Palembang's economy depends highly on trading, service, transportation, manufacturing and construction sectors.

[86] To accelerate the region development, Trans-Sumatra Toll Road is being constructed to eventually give Palembang a high-speed highway access to other cities in Sumatra, including Bengkulu in the west, Jambi in the north, and Bandar Lampung in the south.

From the 1930s onward the Palembang municipal Sultan Mahmud Badaruddin II Museum started to house archaeological objects from regional sites that had not jet been excavated.

[94] Palembang is known as Venetië Van Andalas (Venice of Sumatra), mainly because of the topography of the city which was dominated by Musi River and its tributaries.

As a trading city since antiquity, Palembang is very heterogenous and its local culture and language is also influenced by many civilizations, most notably Chinese, Javanese, and Arabs.

[99] It is a luxury product traditionally worn during ceremonial occasions as sarong, shoulder cloths or head ties and tanjak, a headdress songket.

Sriwijaya F.C is the only active professional football club in South Sumatra and widely followed across the province, especially in Palembang as its home base.