He was the 15th Yang di-Pertuan Agong or the monarch and head of state of Malaysia from 13 December 2016 to his abdication on 6 January 2019, after his election on 14 October 2016 at the 243rd (special) Conference of Rulers.[1] Kelantan was historically a powerful state with trade links with early Chinese, Indian and Siamese civilisations.[citation needed] Four years later, he was overthrown by Long Yunus, an aristocratic warlord of Pattani origin, who seized the throne and proclaimed himself Raja of Kelantan.[citation needed] In September 2010, Sultan Ismail Petra was constitutionally deposed by the State Succession Council in favour of his eldest son, Tengku Muhammad Faris Petra (now the current sultan).[citation needed] This was followed by several months of litigations made by lawyers acting on behalf of the former sultan.
The Sultan Ismail Petra Arch in Kota Bharu
Sultan Muhammad IV ibni Sultan Muhammad III, c. 1909–1910