KEPALA BATAS: The newly completed Guar Kepah Archaeological Gallery, now home to the “Penang Woman”, is open to the public.
Built on a shell midden excavation site in Penaga, the gallery was developed by the Northern Corridor Economic Region, Universiti Sains Malaysia and Penang Chief Minister Incorporated (CMI).
Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim officiated at the gallery.
“To make this project successful, it cannot be overly specialised.
"Although we refer to it as archaeology, it must be aligned with history, science, tourism and even trade,” he said during the ceremony on Saturday (Jan 24).
Anwar said the Guar Kepah area was a new attraction in the North Seberang Perai District in Penang that should be further developed.
He proposed that the state government consider expanding the surrounding area.
“This gallery is the anchor, but it must be developed further.
"It should function as a centre of knowledge, so people understand what archaeology means, what ecology means, and how ecology is relevant to uncovering the nation’s heritage,” he said.
The gallery’s centrepiece was the Penang Woman, the first complete Neolithic human skeleton discovered in Malaysia.
The two-storey facility would also display skeletal remains previously kept in the Netherlands following their successful repatriation through cooperation with Dutch authorities.
Penang Chief Minister Chow Kon Yeow said the gallery would serve as a cultural landmark and an economic catalyst for the state.
“This gallery is a crucial investment in our national identity and our local economy.
"By anchoring this gallery here, we are creating a new hub for knowledge, tourism and community development,” he said.
Construction of the gallery began in Nov 2022. It includes exhibition halls, an archaeological laboratory, office spaces and basic amenities.
Built at a cost of RM10mil and was handed over to CMI in Aug 2024 when it was completed.
Also present at the opening were Economy Minister Akmal Nasrullah Mohd Nasir, Tourism, Arts and Culture Minister Datuk Seri Tiong King Sing and Ambassador of the Netherlands to Malaysia Jacques Werner.
