the decline of the Majapahit Empire. As the Majapahit Empire went into decline in the late 1300s, Islam moved to fill the vacuum. Islamic era The precise date when Islam entered Java remains unclear. This is due to the absence of a definite source regarding the arrival of Islam in Java. However, according to some experts, it is estimated that Islam entered Java around the 11th century, with the tomb of Fatimah Binti Maimun in the village of Leran in Gresik Regency which dates from 475 AH (1085 AD). The tomb also shows that by the 11th century, the North coast of Java had been frequented by Arab traders from the Middle East. In addition, several Islamic tombs were discovered in Trowulan, located in what is now part of the Mojokerto Regency, near the site of the former Majapahit palace. In the 15th century, a Chinese Hui voyager named Ma Huan visited East Java. He then wrote the book Yingya Shenglan, which tells the story of the countries he visited over the course of the Ming treasure voyages. He mentioned that at that time, there were three different peoples inhabiting Eastern Java: Arabs from the Middle East, the ancestor of the modern Arab Indonesians; Chinese Muslims originating from modern-day Guangdong province, and the native Javanese people. By the 16th century, the Majapahit Empire was defeated by Islamic kingdoms in Java, resulting in the exile of many Majapahit aristocrats to the neighbouring island of Bali. Those who remained in Java were forced to convert to Islam, while a small pocket of isolated people living in the Bromo Tengger Semeru National Park spread around Pasuruan, Probolinggo, Malang, and Lumajang Regencies remains adhered to Hinduism to this day. They are known as the Tenggerese people. Their population of roughly 100,000 is centered in 30 villages in the isolated Tengger mountains. When Islamic sultanates started ruling Java, cities in the northern coast started developing, becoming thriving ports. One of them was the town of Tuban, which was a wealthy and important port with many Chinese settlers. Being a port of the Majapahit and the point of departure for the Moluccas, it exported an abundant supply of foodstuffs and imported a rich variety of products from the Moluccas. At the end of the 16th century, Islam had surpassed Hinduism and Buddhism as the dominant religion in Java. At first, the spread of Islam was very