Recent Discovery Of Iron Furnaces In Kedah Proved Trans-Peninsular Portage Route

ALOR SETAR (Kedah, Malaysia) April 28 (Bernama) -- The discovery of several iron furnaces in Bukit Selambau, Kulim last week proved the existence of a portage route, which was used for the mainland trans-peninsular trading activities between the Old Kedah and the Gulf of Thailand along Sungai Muda river, possibly in the 6th Century BC. Universiti Sains Malaysia Global Archaeological Research Centre director Professor Dr Mokhtar Saidin said the discovery at an oil palm plantation had completed the sequence of portage route that they had traced, after two iron furnaces were found six years ago in Gading, Jeniang and Sik Village, some 40 kilometres away from the Old Kedah. The route was believed to have been used by traders at that time who refused to use the sea route to transport merchandise such as smelted iron using elephants. "The traders might have possibly used this route as an alternative when using the sea was not suitable. For instance, ships depend very much on the wind and seasonal factors before they can sail. If it was not the right season, they would use the land instead. "This discovery was a breakthrough for something that we have been waiting for so long. Before this, we only knew about it (portage route) through history books. This will make good studies in the future," he told reporters, recently. However, Mokhtar said the excavation process had yet to be carried out and they were still in the process of mapping. "It was still submerged in the ground as we only discovered the top part. So, we do not know its shape just as yet. Based on what we found in Jeniang and Sik, they might be of the same shape. "This discovery had also served as strong evidence that the Old Kedah was the oldest civilization in Southeast Asia," he said. Since 2009, the researchers at the archaeological site have made some important discoveries, suggesting that the civilization in Sungai Batu existed about 2,600 years ago. One of the most important discoveries was a circle-shaped monument which was probably used for worship dating back to 110 AD or 1,900 years ago. The researchers have also found a number of artefacts of the iron furnaces that suggest the Old Kedah was Southeast Asia's premier centre for iron smelting during its heyday. --BERNAMA