Editing Brunei (section)

== Etymology ==
According to local historiography, Brunei was founded by Awang Alak Betatar, later to be [[Muhammad Shah of Brunei|Sultan Muhammad Shah]], reigning around AD 1400. He moved from Garang in the [[Temburong]] District{{sfn|History for Brunei Darussalam|2009|p=26}} to the [[Brunei River]] estuary, discovering Brunei. According to legend, upon landing he exclaimed, ''Baru nah'' (loosely translated as "that's it!" or "there"), from which the name "Brunei" was derived.{{sfn|de Vienne|2016|p=27}} He was the first Muslim ruler of Brunei.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.southeastasianarchaeology.com/2007/03/08/treasuring-bruneis-past/ |title=Treasuring Brunei's past |publisher=Southeast Asian Archaeology |date=8 March 2007 |access-date=19 September 2011 |archive-date=1 October 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111001142659/http://www.southeastasianarchaeology.com/2007/03/08/treasuring-bruneis-past/ |url-status=live }}</ref> Before the rise of the [[Bruneian Empire]] under the Muslim Bolkiah dynasty, Brunei is believed to have been under Buddhist rulers.<ref name="Nicholl1980">{{cite book|author=Robert Nicholl|title=Notes on Some Controversial Issues in Brunei History|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=EN-hXwAACAAJ|date=1980|pages=32–37}}</ref>

It was renamed "Barunai" in the 14th century, possibly influenced by the [[Sanskrit]] word "''{{transliteration|sa|varuṇ}}''" ({{lang|sa|वरुण}}), meaning "seafarers".<ref name="Minahan2012">{{cite book|author=James B. Minahan|title=Ethnic Groups of South Asia and the Pacific: An Encyclopedia: An Encyclopedia|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=fOQkpcVcd9AC&pg=PT75|date=2012|publisher=ABC-CLIO|isbn=978-1-59884-660-7|page=75}}</ref> The word "[[Borneo]]" is of the same origin. In the country's full name, ''{{lang|ms|Negara Brunei Darussalam}}'', ''{{lang|ms|darussalam}}'' ({{langx|ar|دار السلام}}) means "abode of peace", while ''{{lang|ms|negara}}'' means "country" in [[Malay language|Malay]]. A shortened version of the Malay official name, "Brunei Darussalam", has also entered common usage, particularly in official contexts, and is present in the [[United Nations Group of Experts on Geographical Names]] geographical database,<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://unstats.un.org/unsd/geoinfo/geonames/|title=Geographical Names Database|website=United Nations Statistics Division|access-date=2021-09-24|archive-date=25 December 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181225001057/http://unstats.un.org/unsd/geoinfo/geonames/%20|url-status=live}}</ref> as well as the official ASEAN<ref>{{cite web|access-date=2021-09-24|title=Brunei Darussalam|url=https://asean.org/about-asean/member-states/brunei-darussalam/|website=asean.org|archive-date=24 September 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210924143313/https://asean.org/about-asean/member-states/brunei-darussalam/|url-status=live}}</ref> and Commonwealth<ref>{{cite web|access-date=2021-09-24|title=Brunei Darussalam|url=https://thecommonwealth.org/our-member-countries/brunei-darussalam|date=15 August 2013|website=The Commonwealth|archive-date=8 September 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210908015616/https://thecommonwealth.org/our-member-countries/brunei-darussalam|url-status=live}}</ref> listings.

The earliest recorded documentation by the West about Brunei is by an Italian known as [[Ludovico di Varthema]]. On his documentation back to 1550;

{{blockquote|We arrived at the island of Bornei ''(Brunei or Borneo)'', which is distant from the ''Maluch'' about {{convert|200|mi|km|abbr=off|spell=on|-2|disp=sqbr}}, and we found that it was somewhat larger than the aforesaid and much lower. The people are pagans and are men of goodwill. Their colour is whiter than that of the other sort&nbsp;... in this island justice is well administered&nbsp;...<ref>{{cite book|author=Bilcher Bala|title=Thalassocracy: a history of the medieval Sultanate of Brunei Darussalam|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=-bQuAQAAIAAJ|year=2005|publisher=School of Social Sciences, Universiti Malaysia Sabah|isbn=978-983-2643-74-6}}</ref>}}