02 June 2007 (The Brunei Times) – Liz Price writes a travel piece on the Tasik Kenyir, or Kenyir Lake, the largest man-made lake in Southeast Asia and also home to a few archaeological cave sites.
Terengganu’s Kenyir Lake beckons for a spelunking adventure
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Before the creation of the lake, there were several caves accessible, some of archaeological importance. However, when the area was flooded, most of the caves were lost underwater. Prior to their disappearance, archaeologists had discovered Neolithic artifacts such as kitchen utensils, stone adzes and pottery sherds.
Even a Neolithic burial was found, with broken pottery laid at the foot of the deceased. The Neolithic or New Stone Age era occurred roughly 10,000 years ago. The cave was probably adjacent to two well-known routes used by the aborigines in prehistoric times through Terengganu to Sungai Tembling.
Now there are two remaining limestone hills containing caves that can only be reached by boat. Gua Bewah is the biggest of the known caves. From the floating jetty a steep flight of steps leads up to the entrance situated 40m above lake level.
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Read the full story about spelunking in Tasik Kenyir.
(Stories from the Brunei Times only appear for about 24 hours, so if it is no longer available, you may wish to email me)
Related Books about Malaysian cave sites:
– Early History (The Encyclopedia of Malaysia) by Nik Hassan Shuhaimi Nik Abdul Rahman (Ed)
– Prehistory of the Indo-Malaysian Archipelago by P. Bellwood
