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MELAKA: A total of 30 pieces of wood believed to have come from a merchant ship in the time of the Malacca Sultanate more than 500 years ago were recently found during an archaeological excavation at Pulau Melaka.
The chairman of the state committee for tourism, heritage and culture, Muhammad Jailani Khamis, said that in addition to the pieces of merbau (a hard wood), hundreds of old coins from the time of Sultan Mahmud (1488-1511), as well as the Dutch (VOC coins) and Portuguese occupation, and porcelain fragments from the Ming and Qing dynasties, were unearthed.
“They were discovered during a salvage archeology by the archeology section of the Department of National Heritage (JWN) and the Melaka Museum Corporation (Perzim) since March 25,” he said today at a press conference.
He said that the state government, through Perzim, will take immediate steps to ensure that excavation of artifacts or national treasures in Pulau Melaka continues so that they can be protected.
Among those present during the briefing were Perzim Vice President Akramuddin Abdul Aziz, JWN Deputy General Manager Mohamad Muda Bahadin, Perzim General Manager Mohd Nasruddin Rahman, Principal Investigator Dionysius SK Sharma, and Section Director of JWN archeology, Rozairy Arbi.
Jailani said the state government plans to grant an emergency allocation to ensure the project runs smoothly because more artifacts are believed to be buried there.
He said that special instruments such as ground penetrating radar (GPR) are being used to locate the sunken ship and other artifacts due to higher sea levels and the construction of a boardwalk since 2015.
At the same time, the artifacts are being analyzed for dating.
Jailani also said that they will display the artifacts to the public at the Pelancongan Samudera Perzim Kompleks.
