AN archaeological find on Gunung Pulai in Baling, Kedah, of pottery shards and tools dating back 17,000 years, is reigniting calls by locals and experts to keep a quarrying company out of the area.

The unveiling by the Kedah National Heritage Department yesterday of artefacts showing evidence of pre-historic human settlement has excited Mohd Saberi Mahmood, who chairs an action committee against quarrying on Gunung Pulai.

He hopes the pre-historic find will “open the state government’s eyes” to the area’s heritage and its potential as a tourist draw.

“The beauty of this place is also its history. We are far behind other countries when it comes to appreciating our heritage,” he told The Malaysian Insight.

“The quarry will only bring profit to the company that owns it, not to the government or to the people.

“But by preserving the area for tourists, the villagers here can hope to increase their incomes.”

Department director Mesran Mohd Yusop yesterday presented to the media traces of the ancient human settlement found in the caves of Gunung Pulai.

Three caves – Gua Kambing, Gua Lesung and Gua Tembus – have been excavated since 2012 by archaeological teams from the department and from Universiti Malaya and Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia (UKM).

The discoveries include pottery pieces, mallets and shells of river snails.

Mesran said the discoveries indicate that early humans settled in the caves.

A river may have also existed in the area at the time, based on the snail shells found in the caves which are thought to have been food for the pre-historic dwellers.

The area where the artefacts were found is roughly 100m from a quarry owned by Yiked Holdings Sdn Bhd.

Quarrying work was stopped after Kedah responded to pressure from residents, historians and environmental activists.

Residents and green campaigners want the place to be preserved for its natural beauty to draw tourists, while archaeologist want its pre-historic value to be recognised.

Mesran said the Gunung Pulai area must be preserved as evidence for future generations.

“It is our responsibility to protect this place. The artefacts are estimated to be 17,000 years old, and some samples have been sent to Singapore for more analyses to determine their age,” he said.

“If they are indeed that old, it means this area is one of the oldest human settlements in the country, even older than Sg Batu in Merbok.”

In May 2016, a pre-historic settlement estimated to be around 2,000 years old in Sg Batu, also in Kedah, was named as among the oldest civilisations in Southeast Asia.

Kedah is rich in Hindu-Buddhist artefacts but these have been eclipsed in the history textbooks which give more attention to the founding of Malay civilisation and the Malacca Sultanate about 400 years ago.

Archaeologists now want the Gunung Pulai area preserved for more studies.

Dr Zuliskandar Ramli from UKM’s Institute of the Malay World and Civilisation said the discovery at Gunung Pulai pointed to human life in the Mesolithic age.

“We need further studies beyond these findings to determine their ecology at the time, we cannot depend on these findings alone,” he said. – January 22, 2020.