By Shikin Louis
KUCHING, Oct 4: The newly launched Santubong Archaeological Park and Wallace Centre will showcase groundbreaking archaeological discoveries that prove the existence of early iron smelting, maritime trade and religious practices in Santubong, making it a cultural treasure and a world-class destination for education, recreation and heritage tourism.
Officiated by Premier of Sarawak Datuk Patinggi Tan Sri Abang Johari Tun Openg today, the RM36.6 million project marks a major milestone in preserving and promoting Sarawak’s archaeological and cultural legacy.
Sarawak Minister of Tourism, Creative Industry and Performing Arts Dato Sri Abdul Karim Rahman Hamzah said the initiative, first mooted by Abang Johari in 2016, is a testimony to Santubong’s role as the cradle of civilisation in Sarawak.
“Originally, only 20 hectares were to be gazetted, but as more artefacts such as ceramics and remnants of iron smelting were uncovered, it became clear the whole area is rich with history.
“Thus, we expanded it to 36 hectares to safeguard the integrity of this heritage,” he said in his speech during the opening ceremony.
Among the key highlights are the opening of three galleries, namely the Sungai Jaong Archaeological Site and Gallery, the Bongkissam and Bukit Maras Archaeological Site and Gallery, and the Wallace Centre in Kampung Santubong, which honours the legacy of British naturalist Alfred Russel Wallace who once lived and conducted research in the area.
Abdul Karim pointed out that Santubong was the location of the first archaeological research in Sarawak conducted in 1947 by Tom Harrisson, years before his more famous work in Niah Caves. Findings in the area provide evidence of Sarawak’s earliest iron industry, ancient trade with China and India, and pre-Islamic religious practices, alongside petroglyphs dating back to before Christ.
“These discoveries prove that Santubong was once a significant entry port with links to the Tang, Song, Yuan and Qing dynasties. This park will bring those stories to life and position Sarawak as a global heritage attraction,” he asserted.
The launch also saw the staging of a musical theatre performance ‘Datu Marapati’ tracing Santubong’s rich cultural past and the unveiling of Santubong Archaeological Heritage, a book published by the Sarawak Museum Department.
Copies of the book were also presented to schools and higher learning institutions located in the Santubong area, namely Sekolah Kebangsaan (SK) Santubong, SK Buntal, Sekolah Jenis Kebangsaan (Cina) Chung Hua Buntal, Sekolah Menengah Kebangsaan (SMK) Santubong, Sekolah Seni Malaysia Sarawak and Centre for Technology Excellence Sarawak (CENTEXS) Santubong.
Also present were Deputy Minister of Tourism, Creative Industry and Performing Arts (Tourism) Datuk Sebastian Ting; Deputy Minister for Urban Planning, Land Administration and Environment, Datuk Len Talif Salleh; Deputy Minister of Energy and Environmental Sustainability (MEESty) Datuk Dr Hazland Abang Hipni; Santubong MP Dato Sri Nancy Shukri; Pantai Damai assemblyman Datuk Dr Abdul Rahman Junaidi; Tanjung Datu assemblyman Azizul Annuar Adenan; Sarawak Museum Department director Nancy Jolhi; and Ministry of Tourism, Creative Industry and Performing Arts Sarawak (MTCP) permanent secretary Datu Sherrina Hussaini.
– DayakDaily
