Sungai Batu

Sungai Batu is an archaeological site in Kuala Muda District, Kedah, Malaysia.

Site description
Among the ruins are the remains of stone buildings and what may have been a boat. Remains from the smelting of iron, including a large clay furnace, have also been found. The site covers 4 km2.

Arthur Demarest of the Vanderbilt Institute of Mesoamerica commented that the city most likely gained power because "any civilization that has iron will win the war because they have efficient tools".

Archaeological discoveries


The Sungai Batu excavation site covers an area of 4 km2. Discoveries of iron ore smelting and trade suggest the presence of a prehistoric Malaysian civilisation that may date back to as early as 788 BC. This date would make the civilisation one of the oldest in Southeast Asia.

Historical records of an early civilisation on the Malay Peninsula date back to Ptolemy, who stated there was a trading system between the Western and Eastern worlds through the Golden Chersonese (Malay Peninsula) route in the 1st century.

The Sungai Batu site was excavated by the Global Archaeological Research Center (PPAG), Universiti Sains Malaysia (USM) as part of efforts to complete the archaeological study of the Bujang Valley.

Findings from archaeological excavations indicate the existence of an ancient port centre and trade activities. The discovery of building ruins such as ancient jetties, administrative building walls and unique local ritual sites remnants using brick-building foundations show evidence that the local community at that time was highly skilled in infrastructure and building architecture. In 2015, archaeologists in Sungai Batu managed to find several ancient ships buried at the bottom of the lake around the excavation area. The ships were found to be 40 - 100 ft long and estimated to be 2,500 years old believed to have been used for commercial purposes.



External records
Apart from archaeological findings, historical records point to the existence of an early civilisation in the Malay Peninsula. It is possible that early references to the Sungai Batu civilisation included the toponyms Qalai, Kalah, Kataha, Kataram, and Queada. Al-Kindi's 9th-century record notes the iron-smelting industry of Qalai: "the best quality swords are made of Yemeni iron, Qalai and Hindi."

Economic based civilization
The early civilization of Sungai Batu was known as a place for smelting iron and wrought iron was used as merchandise. The iron smelting industry is also supported by a network of ports for export purposes within and outside the peninsula. The discovery of iron smelting furnaces and tuyere suggest that Sungai Batu became a focal point of the global iron trade. Around the excavation area there is also a dumping of iron ore and tuyere. The forged iron was exported to the Western and Eastern worlds via ancient waterways using merchant ships.



Ritual site
The construction of brick blocks and the presence of a round structure is a unique form of ritual site compared to other ritual sites found from other civilisations. Researchers found the ritual site to be local in nature and thought it was built by a local community that once lived at that time. This suggests that the local community at that time already had highly developed skills.

Islamic, Buddhist and Hindu archaeology expert Prof Derek Kennet of the Durham University noted that Indian temple architecture could still be seen in the brick layers of the square platform. While it was “highly unusual” to see a Hindu temple on top of the round base of a Buddhist stupa, it was not impossible either.

Kennet described the wall contours on the square platform, containing ledges, overhangs and a circular bulge, as the unmistakable wall architecture of ancient Indian temples.

Nasim Khan from University of Peshawar, Pakistan professor said that the ritual site in Sungai Batu required further excavations.

Researchers also argue that before the advent of Islam in the 12th century in Kedah and Hindu-Buddhism in the 5th century, ritual sites in Sungai Batu were used for the practice of animism. This is because the circular structure found at the ritual site has the characteristics of animism for the worship at Mount Jerai which is located in the northern part of the area.

Tourism
The discovery of Sungai Batu has caused a significant reaction from the Malaysian public and government. Kedah Tourism and Heritage committee chairman Mohd Rawi Abdul Hamid said that the discovery of this site would cause Kedah to "become a magnet for the international tourism sector". The site also gained interest from the archaeological community.