<P> In 1320, the Mongol Empire sent a trade mission to a place called Long Ya Men (or Dragon's Teeth Gate), which is believed to be Keppel Harbour at the southern part of the island . The Chinese traveller Wang Dayuan, visiting the island around 1330, described Long Ya Men as one of the two distinct settlements in Dan Ma Xi (from Malay Temasek), the other being Ban Zu (from the Malay pancur). Ban Zu is thought to be present day Fort Canning Hill, and recent excavations in Fort Canning found evidence indicating that Singapore was an important settlement in the 14th century . Wang mentioned that the natives of Long Ya Men (thought to be the Orang Laut) and Chinese residents lived together in Long Ya Men . Singapore is one of the oldest locations where a Chinese community is known to exist outside China, and the oldest corroborated by archaeological evidence . </P> <P> By the 14th century, the empire of Srivijaya had already declined, and Singapore was caught in the struggle between Siam (now Thailand) and the Java - based Majapahit Empire for control over the Malay Peninsula . According to the Malay Annals, Singapore was defeated in one Majapahit attack . The last king, Sultan Iskandar Shah ruled the island for several years, before being forced to Melaka where he founded the Sultanate of Malacca . Portuguese sources however indicated that Temasek was a Siamese vassal whose ruler was killed by Parameswara (thought to be the same person as Sultan Iskandar Shah) from Palembang, and Parameswara was then driven to Malacca, either by the Siamese or the Majapahit, where he founded the Malacca Sultanate . Modern archaeological evidence suggests that the settlement on Fort Canning was abandoned around this time, although a small trading settlement continued in Singapore for some time afterwards . </P> <P> The Malacca Sultanate extended its authority over the island and Singapore became a part of the Malacca Sultanate . However, by the time Portuguese arrived in the early 16th century, Singapura had already become "great ruins" according to Alfonso de Albuquerque . The Portuguese seized Malacca in 1511, and the sultan escaped south and established the Johor Sultanate, and Singapore then became part of the sultanate . The Portuguese however destroyed the settlement in Singapore in 1613, and the island sank into obscurity for the next two centuries . </P> <P> Between the 16th and 19th centuries, the Malay Archipelago was gradually taken over by the European colonial powers, beginning with the arrival of the Portuguese at Malacca in 1509 . The early dominance of the Portuguese was challenged during the 17th century by the Dutch, who came to control most of the ports in the region . The Dutch established a monopoly over trade within the archipelago, particularly in spices, then the region's most important product . Other colonial powers, including the British, were limited to a relatively minor presence . </P>

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