KUCHING: Remnants of ancient iron-smelting furnaces at Sungai Jaong and Bongkissam in Santubong, some dating back to the 11th century, may be the oldest such structures uncovered in Borneo, the Sarawak Legislative Assembly was told on Tuesday (Oct 20).
State Tourism, Creative Industry and Performing Arts Minister Datuk Seri Abdul Karim Rahman Hamzah said an archaeological dig, undertaken by the Sarawak Museum Department together with the French School of Asian Studies, found remains of several furnaces dating from the mid-11th to the late 13th centuries.
The dig site, officially called the Sarawak Delta Archaeological Project, is 27km from here.
Speaking to the media later, Karim said the furnaces could have been operated by the Chinese as they were sited in a cove where traders' junks from that country would anchor.
He said the base of a Hindu candi had also been uncovered at the dig site, showing Santubong was once a melting pot of nationalities and religions.
On another archaeological excavation, Karim said the Museum Department, in collaboration with Western Sydney University, is undertaking a dig at Lobang Manyik in Niah.
He said the excavation would "contribute to long-term conservation works".
