ALOR SETAR: Several iron cannonballs believed to be remnants of the 1821 Kedah-Siam War have been added to the Kota Kuala Kedah Museum collection.
The cannonballs, discovered about 20 years ago at the Kuala Kedah estuary near here, were handed over by the Tunku Kassim Foundation through Tunku Mansor Tunku Kassim, a grandson of the late Sultan Abdul Hamid Halim Shah, the 26th Sultan of Kedah.
The historical artefacts were handed over during a commemorative carnival held in honour of Malaysia’s first prime minister and founding father, Tunku Abdul Rahman Putra Al-Haj, at the Kota Kuala Kedah Museum, where they will be preserved and displayed to the public.
Lembah Bujang Archaeological Museum director Azhar Mohamed Noor, who represented the director-general of the Museums Department, said the cannonballs were historically significant as they were believed to be linked to the 1821 Kedah-Siam War.
He said the items were previously kept by an individual as part of his personal collection before being handed over to the museum for preservation, Bernama reported.
“We welcome more individuals with old items or historical artefacts to donate them to museums, as we have a shared responsibility to safeguard these valuable treasures,” he told reporters at the carnival here on Saturday.
Azhar said the museum had conducted studies on the cannonballs, which are of various sizes.
He said the department had also been conducting the Collection Donation Campaign for nearly two years to encourage the public to hand over collections or old items with historical value.
Azhar said every item submitted would first be assessed by an evaluation committee for historical value, aesthetics and significance before a decision is made on whether it would be accepted as part of the museum collection.
“For individuals who donate collections, we will issue certificates of appreciation as a token of thanks for their contribution to preserving historical treasures,” he said.
Azhar added that apart from cannonballs, various other discoveries, including coins, had also been found in the Kota Kuala Kedah area.
