Sungai Batu Archaeology Researcher Receives Kedah Maal Hijrah Award

ALOR SETAR, June 27 (Bernama) -- Sungai Batu, Lembah Bujang archaeological Prof Datuk Dr Mokhtar Saidin was named Kedah Tokoh Maal Hijrah 1447H today.

Dr. Mokhtar, 62, who was born in Kampung Bukit Pekan, Kampar in Perak, is the key pioneer behind the discovery of the ancient Kedah civilisation that has been established in Sungai Batu since the 8th century BC.

He began his early education at Sekolah Kebangsaan (SK) Bukit Pekan and continued his studies at the Anglo-Chinese Secondary School Ipoh, before pursuing a matriculation programme at the Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia (UKM) and subsequently continuing his studies at Universiti Sains Malaysia (USM) in the fields of geology and archaeology.

After completing his Master's degree in Archaeology at USM, he continued his studies at the Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) level in the same field at USM, reflecting his high and deep commitment and interest in the development of archaeological knowledge, particularly in the context of history and civilisation in this region.

"When I was informed about this award, it was unexpected because these tokoh (figures) awards are usually given to religious leaders. This is the first time recognition has been awarded to an academic conducting research related to archaeology and history, so I feel it is something very good for the state and country.

"This award is something good to see because the field of knowledge is the foundation for the country's progress and character of its people…if there is no such recognition, there would be less of an approach to recognise scholars who conduct research in other fields," he said after the Kedah Maal Hijrah celebration ceremony today.

Dr Mokhtar said there is still much to be done, including developing Sungai Batu as a product so that all citizens know about the identity of the state and country, in addition to making it a source of income for Kedah.

"I am also still producing globally impactful high-ranking publications about Sungai Batu in addition to educating students who are interested in learning about this civilisation and history... I also give motivational talks to other agencies.

"Furthermore, we have also succeeded in proving to the world that what Al-Kindi (801-873) referred to as the best iron in the world came from Kalah, which was the name used for the state of Kedah at that time, and Al-Biruni (973-1050) stated that all the iron in Yemen and India also originated from Kalah," he said.

Dr Mokhtar began his involvement in archaeological research at the Sungai Batu site after receiving a special request from the former Menteri Besar of Kedah, the late Datuk Seri Diraja Ustaz Azizan Abdul Razak, in 2007 to conduct the research as part of efforts to identify the existence of a large-scale iron smelting industry site that is believed to have existed in the region for 2800 years.

Through systematic research and intensive fieldwork led by him and the research team, significant discoveries have been recorded in Sungai Batu, including a large number of iron smelting furnaces and more than two million units of 'tuyere,' which are archaeometallurgical tools used to channel air or oxygen into the iron furnace to increase the temperature during the iron smelting process.

-- BERNAMA