via Channel NewsAsia, 02 July 2023: Archaeological research conducted by Professor Mokhtar Saidin and his team from Universiti Sains Malaysia has uncovered evidence of a thriving iron export industry dating back to 788 BC in Sungai Batu, part of the Bujang Valley complex; however, despite its historical significance, further excavations have stalled due to the lack of a successor to continue the work.
Mohd Faudzi Sulaiman, a senior museum assistant at the Bujang Valley Archaeological Museum in Merbok, said archaeological work needs a good amount of funding.
“It can take years for just one site because these artefacts could be thousands of years old and are fragile,” he told CNA, noting that several mounds at the Sungai Batu archaeological site have yet to be excavated.
“So if these works take years, the costs to pay for workers, equipment and other (expenses) will definitely go up.”
Faudzi was personally involved in the early archaeological work on the temple sites and is now employed at the museum where some of these structures were moved to.
Many of the temple sites were located in forested areas, so excavations proved difficult, he said. Some of the sites were in villages, so authorities had to find alternative spots for the museum or persuade villagers to move.
