Group Assignment Hikayat Iskandar Zulkarnain

Download as pdf or txt
Download as pdf or txt
You are on page 1of 19
At a glance
Powered by AI
The document discusses Alexander the Great's military campaigns and expansion of his empire from Greece to Persia, Egypt and beyond. It also talks about his leadership style and influence.

The document is about Alexander the Great and discusses his military campaigns, expansion of his empire, leadership style, and influence.

In his first battle in Asia at Granicus, Alexander used a small part of his forces against a larger Persian force. He placed his phalanx in the center and cavalry and archers on the wings to match the Persian cavalry line and prevent being outflanked.

FACULTY OF INFORMATION MANAGEMENT

MARA UNIVERSITY OF TECHNOLOGY (UITM)

CAMPUS PUNCAK PERDANA,SELANGOR

BACHELOR OF INFORMATION SCIENCE (HONS) INFORMATION SYSTEM MANAGEMENT (IM245)

MANAGEMENT OF MANUSCRIPTS AND PERSONAL PAPERS

IMR 659

GROUP ASSIGNMENT: HIKAYAT

ISKANDAR ZULKARNAIN/ALEXANDER THE GREAT

PREPARED BY:

MUHAMMAD NUR LUQMAN HAKIMIE (2016201474)

NUR ADILA BT CHEK DIN (2016884566)

PREPARED FOR:

NIK AZLIZA NIK ARIFFIN

GROUP:

NIMBF10A

DATE OF SUBMISSION:

28 JUNE 2020

Internal Use - Confidential


Assignment 2: Hikayat

TABLE OF CONTENT

Bil Subject Page


Abstract 2
Acknowledgement 3

1. Introduction
a. Introduction of Iskandar Zulkarnain 4

The Review of Manuscript


2. a. The Details 5
b. The condition
i. Physical Description 6
ii. The Essential Information of the Manuscript
c. The Language 7
d. The Recognition 7

The Hikayat of Iskandar Zulkarnain


a. Manuscript and publications 9
3. b. The Story-Line of Hikayat Iskandar Zulkarnain 15
c. The important of Characters of Hikayat Iskandar 17
Zulkarnain
d. The influennce of Hikayat Iskandar Zulkarnain 17
e. The values of Hikayat Iskandar Zulkarnain 18

4. Conclusion 18

1
Assignment 2: Hikayat

Abstract

Alexander the Great was not only a great political leader, but also an amazing general. He did not face
only armies, but entire civilizations which he forced to merge, following his own example. We believe that
his most lasting victory was the Hellenistic civilization, a new civilization that emerged after the “clash of
civilizations” that Alexander, the great leader, had opposed, namely the Greek civilization versus the
Persian civilization. His war was totally new, revolutionary, both in terms of fighting tactics, weapons, and
especially goals. Alexander became the Great because of his ambition to conquer the world from one end
to the other. Beginning with the pretext meant to take revenge for the Persian Wars, his expedition to the
Persian Empire was in fact a special “clash of civilizations”. With Alexander, the West fully demonstrates
its expansionist tendencies, conquering at first an empire and civilization after civilization. Thus, in turn,
the Greek crusher of the new half-god of war defeated the Phoenician, Egyptian, Persian civilizations (the
coordinator of the empire that initiated for the first time the process of assimilation of the defeated ones,
namely Persanization).From the military point of view, Alexander the Great was the initiator of the
lightning war, of course mutatis mutandis , forming a military monarchy within the conquered civilizations,
turning for the first time in history, generals into important politicians, we think here of the Diadochi .
Alexander the Great forced the limits beyond human possibilities, beyond the map and beyond fate. He
is the most original general of history, precisely in his manner of making war and imposing peace, being
the toughest “shock of civilizations”

2
Assignment 2: Hikayat

Acknowledgement

Alhamdulillah, thank Allah for helping us to finish this Hikayat assignment. Thank you very much to our
lecturer, Pn Nik Azliza Bt Nik Ariffin, for giving us guidance, patience, motivation, enthusiasm and immense
knowledge. It helped us to complete this assignment in all the time of research and writing. Without your
guidance, we 're not going to do and finish our assignment. The challenges of doing this task include our
commitment to our work, our family and the difficulty of finding sources during the Covid-19 pandemic
and the Movement Order Control. It really gives us a lot of experience. By ignoring all that, we've tried
our best to present the best output of our assignment. All kindness has come from Allah, and weakness
has come from us. If there is a mistake or something irrelevant about the subject, we hope it will be
forgiven. Let's hope this will be useful in the future.

3
Assignment 2: Hikayat

1.0 Introduction

Attention to Arabic translations that went eastward can uncover neglected connections and exchanges of
stories. One such instance is the Malay Alexander Romance, Hikayat Iskandar Zulkarnain, translated from
the Arabic version of Pseudo‐Callisthenes' Greek Alexander Romance. This Islamicization of the Alexander
Romance also incorporates elements of Greek culture found elsewhere, such as Homer, suggesting a
cultural bridging of east and west through traveling textual elements and stories that could be seen as
accretionary globalism. These elements are global souvenirs, with varied origins, incorporated into a
different Islamic and Southeast Asian mosaic. Such global souvenirs also come in the form of references
to global religions, including, aside from Islam, Zoroastrianism, Judaism, and Buddhism. The wide‐ranging
travels of the hero Iskandar bridges east and west, as he travels to the edges of the world, the Maghrib
and Andalusia in the west and China in the east. In these travels, foreign elements are akin to global
souvenirs collected and then assimilated into a larger frame that also is adapted to its new Southeast
Asian context. The accretionary globalism of Hikayat Iskandar Zulkarnain, which assimilates narrative
elements cross‐culturally, takes as its perspective the world itself, promiscuously crossing boundaries of
nation, language, and faith.

a. Introduction of Iskandar Zulkarnain

Hikayat Iskandar Zulkarnain is a Malay epic describing fictional exploits of a fictional king Iskandar
Zulkarnain, he is a king who was briefly mentioned in the Quran (18:82-100) . The oldest existing
manuscript is dated 1713, but is in a poor state. Another manuscript was copied by Muhammad Cing
Sa`idullah at about 1830.

Iskandar Zulkarnain is claimed to be a direct antecedent of the Minangkabau kingdoms of Sumatra,


Indonesia by their rulers. The best known Minangkabau ruler, Adityavarman, who ruled over Sumatra
between 1347 and 1374 AD claimed for himself the name Maharaja Di Raja, 'a great lord of kings.' It was
William Marsten who first publicized this link at the end of the 18th century.The descent from Iskandar
Zulkarnain,is claimed via Raja Rajendra Chola (Raja Suran, Raja Chola) in the Malay Annals.

4
Assignment 2: Hikayat

2. The Review of Manuscript

a. The Details

According to researchers, the manuscript is a romance based on the life of Alexander the Great.It gives a
detailed account of the events before and during his campaign of conquest, which took him as far as India,
where he also carried the ideals and values of Greek thought and science taught to him by his teacher,
the Greek philosopher Aristotle. This specific account was the most widely-read romance in the Middle
Ages and it was translated into thirty languages, overcoming the great boundaries of language and culture
to spread throughout the world and act as an inspiration to historians, writers and even playwrights. The
priceless manuscript takes an almost “cinematic” approach to the life of the ancient Macedonian king,
including more than 250 illuminated illustrations richly decorated in brilliant colors and gold leaf.

The codex has now been fully digitized, and is being presented in the exhibition titled “The Legend of
Alexander the Great as a Byzantine Heritage: The Testimony of a Byzantine Manuscript.” The events of
the Macedonian conqueror’s life story are relayed through holograms and 3D projections in the exhibit,
which will soon be sent around the world, with stops in New York, China, Istanbul, and Jerusalem, among
other cities. According to Christos Arabatzis, the president of the Venice Hellenic Institute’s Supervisory
Committee, the “Codex 5” is unique in the entire world, since it is the most richly-illustrated version of
the Alexander romance, and it also has exceptional artistic value in and of itself.

According to Byzantine expert Flora Karagianni, the Alexander Romance appears to be based on an
account by the ancient historian Callisthenes who had accompanied Alexander on his campaign, which he
had written shortly after Alexander’s death. In the centuries that followed, this became the most widely-
read romance of medieval times, spreading from Istanbul to the west and from the city of Trebizond east
to Mongolia, Persia, Sumatra and China – even making its way into Islamic religious texts. “For the
Byzantines, especially, Alexander came to have almost mythical dimensions, fighting whole armies,
mythical monsters and defeating many Roman and then Byzantine emperors… he was the model of a
hero, warrior and hunter,” Karagianni said.

5
Assignment 2: Hikayat

In the mid-14th century, Alexios III Megas Komnenos of Trebizond ordered a manuscript with the
Alexander romance to be prepared for his personal library. This was then copied down and illustrated
with four miniature illustrations depicting Alexander’s life and accomplishments, she added. When the
city of Trebizond was conquered in 1461, an unknown individual who was part of the new Turkish society
there added notes to each illustration in Ottoman Turkish script. Somehow, by some near-miraculous,
still-unknown means, the manuscript resurfaced in the hands of Konstantinos Maroutsos, a Venetian
merchant, in the early nineteenth century — and thanks to him, the priceless book was given back to the
Greek community.

b. The condition

i. Physical Description

Alexander's physical description is variously reported as of him having curly, dark blonde hair, a prominent
forehead, a short, jutting chin, fair to reddish skin, an intense gaze, and a short, stocky, tough figure. It
has been commented upon more than once that Alexander had one dark brown eye and one blue eye.
Alexander was always shown clean-shaven, which was an innovation: all previous portraits of Greek
statesmen or rulers had beards. This royal fashion lasted for almost five hundred years and almost all of
the Hellenistic kings and Roman emperors until Hadrian were portrayed beardless. Alexander was the
first king to wear the all-important royal diadem, a band of cloth tied around the hair that was to become
the symbol of Hellenistic kingship.
Earlier portraits of Alexander, in heroic style, look more mature than the portraits made after his death,
such as this example. These show a more youthful, though perhaps more god-like character. He has
longer hair, a more dynamic tilt of the head and an upward gaze, resembling his description in literary
sources.

6
Assignment 2: Hikayat

ii. The Essential Information of the Manuscript

c. The Language

He most certainly spoke Greek. The problem relates to the dialect of Greek he used. The language of the
Macedonian court was Attic Greek. Ancient Macedonian, the language of the ancient Macedonians, either
a dialect of Ancient Greek, or a separate Hellenic language, was spoken in the kingdom of Macedonia
during the 1st millennium BC and belongs to the Indo-European language family. It gradually fell out of
use during the 4th century BC, marginalized by the use of Attic Greek by the Macedonian aristocracy, the
Ancient Greek dialect that became the basis of Koine Greek, the lingua franca of the Hellenistic period.

The surviving public and private inscriptions found in Macedonia indicate that there was no other written
language in ancient Macedonia but Ancient Greek, and recent epigraphic discoveries in the Greek region
of Macedonia, such as the Pella curse tablet, suggest that ancient Macedonian might have been a variety
of North Western Ancient Greek. Other linguistic evidence suggests that although Ancient Greek was the
language of literacy, the vernacular was a separate language, although closely related

d. The Recognition

It was in the springtime of 334 BC that Alexander the Great set out to conquer Persia with an army of
soldiers from all Greek towns, except Sparta that denied taking part in this war. The generals of his army
were all Macedonians. They were Antigonus, Ptolemy and Seleucus. In the ancient city of Troy, close to
the River Granicus, the Macedonian army defeated the Persian forces and occupied all the coastline of
Asia Minor. While in Troy, the myth says that Alexander paid tributes to the grave of Achilles, his eternal
model.

At the Battle of Issus, in 333 BC, the Macedonian army for the first time came face to face with the real
Persian army led by King Darius III. Darius was defeated and he succumbed to Alexander, who proclaimed
himself to be the King of Asia. Alexander moved then to Egypt, where he was viewed upon as a liberator
to free Egypt from the Persians. There he was named Pharaoh and established the city of Alexandria, that
exists and flourishes till today. Alexander went on to the west to occupy Babylon, the capital of the Persian
Empire.

7
Assignment 2: Hikayat

In Babylon, he resided in the Palace of Darius and married his daughter, princess Statira. The ambitions of
Alexander brought his army to modern Afghanistan and Pakistan, where he married the daughter of a
local leader, Roxana. This was rather a strange decision and raised many reactions from his general, but
Alexander considered it a symbolic action: a Greek king married a local princess and populations of the
West and the East could finally unite into one empire, as was his dream.

In the meantime, the relationship of Alexander with his generals was getting bad. After some conspiracies
against his life, Alexander didn't trust them any more except for one general, Hephaestion, the son of a
Macedon nobleman and long friend of his. The Macedon generals would also protest against some Persian
traditions and practices that Alexander demanded from them, such as the custom of kneeling before him.
This was a natural practice for the Persians to show their respect to the king but the Greeks kneeled only
before the statues of the gods, not to their kings, so the generals considered it as an act of indignity to
kneel in front of a man.

After long years of marching and fighting, Alexander the Great had yet reached the borders of India but
fighting with the local tribes was very difficult. In fact, in a battle, Alexander lost his beloved horse,
Bucephalus. Plus his army was much tired from so many years of wars and they wanted to rest. That is
when Alexander decided to return to Babylon for a few months and then come back to conquer India.

8
Assignment 2: Hikayat

3. The Hikayat of Iskandar Zulkarnain

a. Manuscript and publications

he prestige of a royal house in the Malay archipelago rested in no small part on claims of descent from
illustrious ancestors. At the most deep-rooted level, myths of origin in Malay texts drew on primordial
Austronesian beliefs of unity between the earth and sky, symbolised by the marriage between a prince
who descended from heaven and a princess from the earth or water, who emerged from a mass of foam
or a clump of bamboo (cf. Ras 1970: 81-99). With the coming of Islam, into this chain of descent were
introduced powerful figures from the Islamic pantheon, pre-eminently the great hero Iskandar Zulkarnain
(Alexander the Great), as well as the first man, Adam, and the Raja of ‘Rum’, as the Ottoman lands were
known in the east. These ahistorical genealogies are found in court chronicles such as the Hikayat Raja
Pasai, Sulalat al-Salatin or Sejarah Melayu recounting the origins of the sultanate of Melaka, the Hikayat
Banjar from southern Borneo, and Hikayat Jambi from east Sumatra, preceding the more factual elements
of the texts.

9
Assignment 2: Hikayat

In the Sejarah Melayu, the sultans of Melaka are said to be descended from the union of Raja Iskandar
(Zulkarnain) and the daughter of Raja Kidi Hindi. In this episode, Nabi Khidir marries the couple according
to Islamic rites and asks Raja Iskandar if he agrees to the dowry of 300,000 gold dinars (‘Bahwa sudahlah
hamba kahwinkan anak Raja Kidi Hindi yang bernama Syahral Bariah dengan Raja Iskandar, adapun isi
kahwinnya tiga ratus ribu dinar emas 300,000, ridakah tuan hamba?’ Maka sahut Raja Iskandar, ‘Ridalah
hamba’). British Library, Or. 14734, f.4v (detail) noc

As well as depictions in prose, royal genealogies or silsilah are occasionally visualised as charts or
diagrams, as found in three recently digitised Malay manuscripts depicting the ancestry of the royal
houses of central Java (Or. 15932), of the kingdom of Pajajaran in west Java (MSS Malay F 1), and of Luwu’
in south Sulawesi (MSS Malay D 13). Artistically the most impressive is a genealogy in the form of a tree
tracing the descent of the kings of Java, starting with Adam, placed in the roots of the tree, and ending in
the outermost leaves with Sasunan Pakubuwana keempat (Pakubuwana IV of Surakarta) and Mataram
keempat (Sultan Hamengkubuwana IV of Yogyakarta). The genealogy is found at the end of a volume
containing the work Papakĕm Pawukon, containing an illustrated description of the 30 wuku of the
Javanese calendrical tradition. The manuscript, in Javanese and in Malay in Jawi script, was written in
Bogor in the Javanese year 1742 (AD 1814/5). It is said to be from Kyai Suradimanggala, Bupati sĕpuh of
Dĕmak, who was one of Thomas Stamford Raffles’s closest friends and informants in Java.

10
Assignment 2: Hikayat

Genealogy of the Javanese kingdoms, from Adam to Pakubuwana IV of Surakarta and Hambengkubuwana
IV of Yogyakarta (Adapun ini suatu masyal pohon riwayat tahta kĕrajaan tanah Jawa). British Library, Or.
15932, f.72r noc

11
Assignment 2: Hikayat

Little is known of the early history of the Hindu-Buddhist kingdom of Pajajaran in the Sundanese region of
west Java, which was conquered by Muslim Banten in ca. 1579 (Ricklefs 1994: 38). A manuscript chart
(MSS Malay F 1), just over a metre long, contains a genealogy written in romanised Malay starting with
the legendary founder of Pajajaran, Prabu Siliwangi, and continuing through Suhunan Gunung Jati of
Cirebon, one of the nine sages (wali) believed to have brought Islam to Java, to 'Pangeran Adipati
Moehamad Djamoedin Aloeda' son of 'Pangeran Radja Nataningrat wakil Soeltan Sepoeh [of Cirebon]
taoen 1880'. The list was probably written in the 1890s.

First entries in the royal genealogy from west Java, starting with Prabu Siliwangi of Pajajaran, a MS chart
in romanised Malay, ca. 1890s. British Library, MSS Malay F 1

12
Assignment 2: Hikayat

Genealogy of the rulers of Luwu' in South Sulawesi. British Library,

13
Assignment 2: Hikayat

Perhaps the most grandiose narration of descent of a Malay royal house is depicted in a manuscript held
not in the British Library, but in the Library of School of Oriental and African Studies (SOAS). This is an early
20th century genealogy of the ruling houses of pre-Islamic Persia, the Malay sultanates and Turkey, joined
by their common ancestor Yapit, son of Nabi Nuh (Noah). The left-hand branch shows the descent of the
sultans of Johor and Perak from Iskandar Zulkarnain and the kings of Persia and Melaka. The right-hand
branch shows the Turkish line, through mythical rulers to the Seljuks and Ottomans, ending with Sultan
Abdülhamid II (r.1876-1909). This genealogy was published in the photographic exhibition Islam, Trade
and Politics across the Indian Ocean, exploring links between the Ottoman empire and Southeast Asia.

Genealogy of the sultans of Perak and Johor, early 20th c. Library of the School of Oriental and African
Studies, MS 40334

14
Assignment 2: Hikayat

b. The Story-Line of Hikayat Iskandar Zulkarnain

Iskandar Zulkarnain is known as the king and conqueror without any appeal. Among Muslims, he is known
as Iskandar Agung. In Western society he was called Alexander The Great. However, the difference in
name raises the question of whether the two names are the same person or different characters. This
question is still unanswered. Among scholars and scholars, they disagree on this as there are differences
and inconsistencies in the story of Iskandar Zulkarnain according to the Islamic and western versions.
However, A. Yusuf Ali, one of the scholars involved in translating and interpreting the Quran into English,
concluded that Iskandar Zulkarnain mentioned in the Quran and Islamic history is similar to Alexander The
Great in the west. The name difference arose as King Iskandar Zulkarnain ruled the empire extending from
Europe to the Far East. He ruled two world governments, the East and the West. Iskandar Zulkarnain had
previously led troops to Persia, India, Bulchistan, and Southeast Asia. It was sailing around the Malay
Peninsula and stop at Nam Kamulan eastern city located in Kelantan.Di Nam, the Iskandar Zulkarnain plan
to control the whole of the Malay Archipelago.

According to historical records, Iskandar Zulkarnain was on Java Island for 20 years for the purpose of
preaching. Later, he led his army to China. His arrival received great opposition from the Chinese Emperor.
But Iskandar Zulkarnain's army was too strong and eventually the Chinese army surrendered. The Chinese
emperor had to hand over the eastern part of Shensi Province to Iskandar Zulkarnain. He appointed a
governor and named the region 'Shang', which is called Chinese 'Yaksan', the original name of Iskandar
Zulkarnain. After conquering parts of Shang, China, Iskandar Zulkarnain continued his mission of conquest
of Korea before crossing the Japanese Islands. Thus, it was Iskandar Zulkarnain's desire to reach the rising
sun, the most northerly place in the east.

In every country he conquered, Iskandar Zulkarnain took the opportunity to spread the religion of
Abraham. Nearly three quarters and corners of the globe were tracked by Iskandar Zulkarnain. It is
mentioned in the Qur'an that Iskandar Zulkarnain had reached the sunset country of Norway and that of
Japan. That's why he called it "Zulkarnain" which in Arabic means "having two horns". The two horns refer
to the western and eastern worlds. Alexander the Great is believed to be 3500 years lalu.Mengikut book
Sulalatus Salatin, the Malay rulers are the descendants of Alexander the Great. Many historians have
doubted the relationship and described it as an attempt by the author of the book to lift the dignity and

15
Assignment 2: Hikayat

show the greatness and glory of ancient kings. Some have described it as a myth that was intentionally
made.

Similarly, the legend of Iskandar Zulkarnain was deliberately exaggerated. According to western legend,
the Great Iskandar had once built a wall of iron gates to block Yakjuj and Makjuj which ran to a mountain.
The purpose is to prevent these two creatures from making a noise and causing chaos. This iron gate was
supposedly discovered by a Chinese traveler in the 7th century AD. The traveler named Hiouen Tsiang
found the gate on his way to India. He only found two leaves made of iron and hung with bells. The gate
no longer exists. This situation may have been due to the iron gate being demolished by Mongolians who
had ventured out west. The iron gate is believed to be located in an area called Hissar, about 150 miles
from Bukhara.

The story of Iskandar Zulkarnain is also mentioned indirectly in the Bible. Alexander the Great was
portrayed as a mighty king and ruling a great colony. But his colonial empire was destroyed after his death.
Josephus, a Jewish-Palestinian scholar who lived for nearly a century with Jesus. had written at length
about Iskandar Zulkarnain's visit to the Temple and Jerusalem as a holy city to Jews, Christians, and
Muslims. The Prophet Muhammad was once ruled by Solomon and Prophet David.

After the death of the two prophets, the Jews quarreled among themselves and caused the city to fall into
the hands of Iskandar Zulkarnain. After Iskandar Zulkarnain died, Jerusalem was again in the hands of
several Roman, Persian, and Islamic powers.To this day, Jerusalem continues to clash with Muslims, Jews,
and Christians and causes unrest in Palestine remains an unresolved issue. disciple of Plato, a renowned
Greek philosopher. Thus, the question of whether Aristottle is a Muslim is because it is impossible for
Iskandar Zulkarnain who adhered to the teachings of Abraham to learn something contrary to his faith
and belief.

Not only that, Iskandar Zulkarnain is also said to be releasing his siblings in Southeast Asia, India, and
Persia. Among them is "Bharata" who was born on Java Island. Of the "Bharata" was born Anushirwan
who became Persian King and descended from the Pandavas and the Kaurawa in the first century AD.
So of course Iskandar Zulkarnain is such a great figure of the world that his name is mentioned in almost
every major and major civilization of the world. Every nation and civilization has its own calling on Iskandar
Zulkarnain. They are trying to showcase the qualities of Iskandar Zulkarnain according to the mold and

16
Assignment 2: Hikayat

values of his community.Therefore, it is not surprising that Iskandar Zulkarnain had names and calls other
than Iskandar the Great and Alexander The Great. This is because in reality they are the same person and
person.

c. The important of Characters of Hikayat Iskandar Zulkarnain

Alexander earned the epithet “the Great” due to his unparalleled success as a military commander. He
never lost a battle, despite typically being outnumbered. This was due to use of terrain, phalanx and
cavalry tactics, bold strategy, and the fierce loyalty of his troops. The Macedonian phalanx, armed with
the sarissa, a spear 6 metres (20 ft) long, had been developed and perfected by Philip II through rigorous
training, and Alexander used its speed and maneuverability to great effect against larger but more
disparate Persian forces. Alexander also recognized the potential for disunity among his diverse army,
which employed various languages and weapons. He overcame this by being personally involved in battle,
in the manner of a Macedonian king.

In his first battle in Asia, at Granicus, Alexander used only a small part of his forces, perhaps 13,000 infantry
with 5,000 cavalry, against a much larger Persian force of 40,000. Alexander placed the phalanx at the
center and cavalry and archers on the wings, so that his line matched the length of the Persian cavalry
line, about 3 km (1.86 mi). By contrast, the Persian infantry was stationed behind its cavalry. This ensured
that Alexander would not be outflanked, while his phalanx, armed with long pikes, had a considerable
advantage over the Persian’s scimitars and javelins. Macedonian losses were negligible compared to those
of the Persians.

d. The influence of Hikayat Iskandar Zulkarnain

He led important campaigns and expanded his empire from Greece to Persia, Babylon, Egypt and beyond,
taking advantage of local political contexts as he conquered new territory.It’s also important to remember
that history is not comprised simply of the stories of great men. Alexander the Great’s empire developed
not only because of his military prowess but also because of his father’s success, which took advantage of
an unstable political context in Greece. Alexander’s own conquests happened in very specific political
contexts as well, which facilitated his ability to expand his empire rapidly and with little resistance.
Ultimately, Alexander’s reign was very short—only about a decade. Perhaps the greatest effect of his

17
Assignment 2: Hikayat

empire was the spread of Greek culture through the successor empires that long outlasted Alexander’s
rule.

e. The values of Hikayat Iskandar Zulkarnain

It was Alexander’s fervent belief that a leader should always set an example. To this end, he always led
his troops from the front into battle and when they went hungry or thirsty, so did their commander.
Whenever his men had to walk due to their horses succumbing to fatigue or injury, Alexander got off his
horse and walked with them.It is hard to imagine Alexander achieving all his success if he had been like
other kings of the nations around him that were far removed from their troops and didn’t know how to
walk their team. A key lessons we can learn from Alexander was his ability to connect and empathise with
his troops almost literally as he endured the same pains his men went through.

The young king was well-aware of the power of vision, and put to good use his powerful rhetoric skills to
speak to the collective imagination of those he sought to inspire. Invariably, he won the commitment of
his followers, who were eager to serve his mission.Alexander was also ahead of his time as a leader who
recognised the importance of singling people out for their contributions. He would regularly acknowledge
feats of bravery in battle, and recall acts of valour by fallen heroes within the ranks.Few leaders before
had been so attuned to the needs of their people than the great conqueror.

Conclusion

The life and career of Alexander the Great is abundant and rich with lessons in leadership, both in terms
of what should be pursued as well as the pitfalls to be avoided. There’s little doubt that his military genius
and overall leadership heavily influenced the world and continues to serve as an inspiration for
leaders.Alexander’s leadership style was exemplary and tapped directly into a universal truth within
today’s leadership world – if you understand people, you understand business. The Greek politician,
scholar and commander knew only too well the importance of looking after the people he led and those
he conquered. Indeed, the essence of his leadership ethos was best summed up by the man himself when
he observed: “Upon the conduct of each depends the fate of all.”

18

You might also like

pFad - Phonifier reborn

Pfad - The Proxy pFad of © 2024 Garber Painting. All rights reserved.

Note: This service is not intended for secure transactions such as banking, social media, email, or purchasing. Use at your own risk. We assume no liability whatsoever for broken pages.


Alternative Proxies:

Alternative Proxy

pFad Proxy

pFad v3 Proxy

pFad v4 Proxy