MOKHTAR SAIDIN:
THE MALAYSIAN ARCHAEOLOGIST YOU DIDN'T KNOW
Group 15
Namira Alia Binti Nazru (66901)
Jayamuniswari A/P Mokana Sundaram (66236)
Shahidatul Aini Izzati Binti Palera (67661)
Siti Nurhafifa Binti Mohd Hashim (67782)
INTRODUCTION
The exploration and archaeological research of Bukit Bunuh in Perak has made it one of the most important Paleolithic sites in the world since evidence of the earliest human activities in Asia dated 1.83 million years ago were discovered here. Stone tools such as hand-axes and choppers found embedded in suevite rocks were the discovered evidence. Metamorphic rock formed by the meteorite impact is what a suevite actually is and the suevite remains at Bukit Bunuh is the only evidence of meteorite impact in Asia and the only impact in the world at 1.83 Ma (millions of years ago). Paleolithic workshops aged 40,000 and 30,000 years ago were also found in Bukit Bunuh. All of these have made Bukit Bunuh the oldest site in the world outside Africa and further making it one of the most important archaeological sites in the world. However, what many among us don’t know is that these amazing findings that have contributed to the history of the world’s prehistoric human records were made by a very Malaysian himself. A man by the name Mokhtar Saidin.
EARLY LIFE AND CAREER
Prof. Dato’ Dr. Mokhtar Saidin has been involved in the field of archaeology in Universiti Sains Malaysia since 1987, the very same year after obtaining his Bachelor of Science (Hons) degree in Geology from Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia (UKM). In the year 1993, Prof. Dato’ Dr. Mokhtar Saidin earned his Master’s degree in Archeology in Art (MA) from Universiti Sains Malaysia (USM). He then received his PhD (Archaeology) in 1998 from USM and with a special coursework program at Harvard University, USA, following his MA.
According to Prof. Dato’ Dr. Mokhtar Saidin, he started his work as a Research Officer in the year 1987 and was with his job until the year 1990. He was then working as a Graduate Assistant from the year 1991 to 1992 for Projek Arkeologi Malaysia, USM. From the year 1993 till 1994, he worked again as a Research Officer. He also served as a Graduate Student from the year 1995 up to the year 1997 when Projek Arkeologi Malaysia was upgraded to the Center for Archeological Research Malaysia (CARM), USM and as a lecturer from 1997 up to date.
WHAT SPARKED HIS INTEREST IN THE ARCHAEOLOGY FIELD?
Prof. Dato’ Dr. Mokhtar Saidin said that he got himself involved in archaeology because it's a multidisciplinary study and knowledge flows from various backgrounds. He also acknowledges that he felt responsible to take up this field because at the end of the 1980s Malaysia’s archaeology was still quite backward, particularly in terms of scientific data collection. Besides, there weren't many archaeologists in Malaysia at that period.
DAY-TO-DAY BASIS ACTIVITIES
The archaeologist spends the majority of his time conducting field work. Field work is fundamental and is the essence of collecting archaeological data. His time spent on field work involves surveying, mapping, excavating and doing field analysis. In addition to his own work, Prof. Dato’ Dr. Mokhtar Saidin also supports his postgraduate students by providing help in their data collections.
Prof Dato’ Dr. Mokhtar Saidin was involved in many projects in the effort of uplifting Malaysia’s archaeology field. Discussed below are a few projects that were the highlights of his career as an archaeologist.
EARLY EXCAVATION WITH ZURAINA MAJID
During his early career in archaeology, Mokhtar Saidin was assigned by Datin Paduka Dato' Prof. Emeritus Zuraina Majid to excavate many archaeological sites at Peninsular Malaysia in the 1990s (C. Stephen, 2017). During an interview conducted by FINAS, he told that his project director, Zuraina Majid had asked him to map out all of the lines of the stone caves in the area of Lenggong Valley(2013). It took him exactly one month to do it with the help of some villagers that lived there. There were 72 caves that were listed on Bukit Kapur and only 7 caves that could possibly have any sign of the early man were shortlisted. This is was also the exact time when Perak Man was founded at Gua Gunung Runtuh(FINAS, 2013).
BROUGHT HOME 22 SKELETONS OF GUA CHA, KELANTAN
In 2006, Mokhtar Saidin collaborated with Zuraina Majid and the both of them visited Cambridge University to conduct a test on the Sieveking’s collections of skeletons that was found in Gua Cha, Kelantan (Museum Volunteers, 2013). From his findings, Mokhtar Saidin revealed the fact that out of the 22 skeletons remains, 14 of it were males while the rest were females (FINAS, 2013). In the year 2008, all of the 22 skeletons were then brought back to its ‘home land’; Malaysia after being kept by Sieveking for about 50 years without anyone’s knowledge (NST, 2008). This was a remarkable event that also included the involvement of our former Culture, Arts and Heritage Minister, Datuk Seri Dr. Rais Yatim (NST, 2008).
THE STORY OF LEMBAH BUJANG
According to the research papers of Azman, Jaffrey, Jalil and Mokhtar, Bujang Valley was first discovered by James Low in 1840 and the excavating project has been continued by other international archaeologists for many years. However, from the years of 1970s-80s, our local archaeologist conducted more excavation and recovery processes to preserve the site (2016). Lembah Bujang was famous for its shrines that were believed related to Hinduism and Buddhism religion. Most archaeologists agree that people in the ancient times that populated Kedah Tua had practiced both of the religions. However, in 2008, Mokhtar Saidin and his CGAR team found an epic evidence and that is an iron smelting site dated from 2000-2600 years ago and also a shrine that is related to animism beliefs at Sungai Batu that tells us further about the advancement of the old Neolithic civilization (Azman et. Al, 2016).
SUNGAI BATU
Through an interview done with Astro Prima, Mokhtar Saidin said that the finding of an iron smelting site had proven to us that our ancient civilization was practically advanced. He also stated that there was also an organization or a system that was used to manage the site until it became the crucial place for merchants to stop by (2019).
The team also discovered a unique clay brick monument with a circular structure representing animistic visual such as the moon, the sun and the earth at Sungai Batu. The northern part of Mount Jerai, located near the area is assumed by them with that possibility of being worshipped and is believed to be a holy home for the gods of ancient times. According to the researchers, places of ritual and pottery containing certain symbols may indicate the practice of animism before the rise of Buddhism and Hinduism in the region. Interestingly, there was no such architecture that is similar found elsewhere in the world. This clearly shows that it is the origin of Malay architecture (Nur, 2019)
“In 2016, world-renowned archaeologists confirmed that the sites found in Lembah Bujang were over 2,000 years old – putting them way ahead of Cambodia’s Angkor Wat and Indonesia’s Borobudur in the history timeline.”
(Ng.Grace, 2019)
Based on the statement above, it clearly stated that the discovery of these two historical sites had been a crucial recognition of archaeology evidence for the whole world as well. However, the research about these sites are still going on as they are trying as much as they can to gain more evidence about the ancient civilizations and how they lived their live (Mstar, 2016).
HIS NUMEROUS PUBLISHED WORKS
He has been writing so many works and all of his research findings have been published in books, articles, journals, documentaries and many more. One of his recent works that he published in a journal was a collaboration between him and Husaini Ibrahim, a lecturer in one of the universities in Indonesia. The research conducted by both of them was to identify and understand the decorative design used in the Acheh community on their tombstones. In their work, apparently they found out that most of the Achenese used floral design to decorate the tombstone. Not just that, they also wrote in the journal that somehow, the decorations used by the Acheh community have some similarities with a temple and a mosque in India. This shows that Acheh was influenced a little bit by the Indians culture and their society experienced some cultural influences (Saidin and Ibrahim, 2020).
Book : From Stone Age to Early Civilisation in Malaysia: Empowering Identity of Race (2011)
He is even credited as one of the editors in a magazine, “Melayu: Jurnal Antarabangsa Dunia Melayu.” The magazine is published by Dewan Bahasa dan Pustaka, twice a year. It is based on academic research which consists of culture, art, and civilization in Malay community.
*If you would like to find out more about his work, here is a list of his books that could be a start-up:
Jerai Geopark: Warisan Geologi, Geoarkeologi dan Biologi.
Teknologi Maklumat dalam Ruangan Arkeologi
Bukti Prasejarah di Malaysia.
Archaeological Heritage of Malaysia. Vol. 1
Pensejarahan Kedah Tua
LIFE IN THE CURRENT TIME
Professor Dato’ Dr. Mokhtar Saidin is still active in the archaeological world and he holds the position as the Director of the Centre for Global Archaeological Research (CGAR) at Universiti Sains Malaysia, Penang since 2005. He is also the Vice- President of the Ikatan Ahli Arkeologi Malaysia and the UISPP (SEA). Currently, he has been appointed as a scientific editor for Lithic Studies, UK and editor of Heritage Journal, Malaysia.
He has been a member of the committee and an archaeological consultant for several EIA projects, such as Bakun Dam Project in Sarawak, UEM Nusajaya Project and the Petronas Gas Pipeline in Peninsular Malaysia. He is also a member of several national expert committees that oversee the research, development and protection of Malaysia’s cultural and geological heritage. He has also been playing key role in the formation and development of Malaysian archaeological museums, such as the Lenggong Archaeological Museum and few archaeological heritage parks across the country, such as Bukit Tengkorak, Agop Batu Tulug and Mansuli (Sabah), Lenggong Valley (Perak) and Sungai Batu (Kedah).
LATEST ACHIEVEMENTS
Professor Dato’ Dr Mokhtar Saidin congratulated the University of Science of Malaysia (USM) and the local archaeological community for receiving the recently announced 13th Suyanggae Academic Award 2019. He received a prestigious international award from Professor Lee Yung-Jo, President Institute of Prehistory the South Korean, for his valuable contributions to the field of archaeological discovery, research and development. The awards were presented in conjunction with a worldwide archaeological gathering to celebrate the 90th anniversary of the Peking Man Discovery and the 24th Suyanggae International Symposium to be held in Beijing, China from 1-5 December 2019.
CONCLUSION
Having writing an article about Prof. Dato' Dr. Mokhtar Saidin , our group can't help from feeling greatly amazed about his achievements. Archaeology has always been a field that we were aware of but little did we know that our very own land; Malaysia has been the home to some of the world's important archaeological sites and that too with astonishing discoveries made by a Malaysia born archaeologist.
We are truly inspired. Prof. Dato' Dr. Mokhtar Saidin and his contributions has taught us on the importance of perseverance in reaching the end goal of your journey. Even on the days the world don't believe in you and your dreams, what actually matters the most is that you stay rooted in your passion and by doing so, you will stay strong and have the strength to finish off what you have started. Besides, he has also taught us on the importance of having the thirst to continuously seek after knowledge and your age is never a hindrance to it. Prof. Dato' Dr Mokhtar Saidin is indeed a great gem for Malaysia and as students majoring in Anthropology and Sociology , we feel grateful that he made the choice to get himself involved in the field of archaeology for today we have a great man to look up to from our very own native land. He is truly an inspiration.
REFERENCES
REFERENCES
A, Azman. A, Jaffrey. O,Jalil. S, Mokhtar.(2016) ISSUES AND PROBLEMS OF PREVIOUS STUDIES IN THE BUJANG
VALLEY AND THE DISCOVERY OF SUNGAl BATU. University Sains Malaysia.
C. Stephen. (2017). Handbook of East and Southeast Asian Archaeology.
(pp. 130) Centre for Global archaeological Research. University Sains
Malaysia.
Retrieved from :
https://eleap.unimas.my/pluginfile.php/908220/mod_resource/content/1/A%20history%20of%20archaeology%20in%20Malaysia.pdf
Dari Zaman Batu Ke Tamadun Awal di Malaysia: Pemerkasaan Jati Diri. Retrieved from https://arkeologi.usm.my/index.php/en/info-gateway/ppag-books/1-dari-zaman-batu-ke-tamadun-awal-di-malaysia
Ibrahim, H., & Saidin, M. (2020). Reka Bentuk Dekorasi dan Ragam Hias Pada Batu Hiasan Aceh di Tapak Lamreh Aceh Besar, Ace, Indonesia (Decorative Design and Ornamental Variety of Acehnese Tombstone at Lamre Aceh Besar, Aceh, Indonesia). Jurnal Arkeologi Malaysia, 33(1).
Lembah Bujang Astro Prima (2019)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SsHtYC-YvZc
Ling, H.L. (2016, February 13). SCIMY Interview: Professor Dato’ Dr. Mokhtar Saidin [Blog post]. Retrieved from https://magazine.scientificmalaysian.com/life-as-a-scientist/scimy-interview-professor-dato-dr-mokhtar-saidin/
M. Embun. (2017). Kedah's Sg Batu Archaeological Complex Ready
For World Heritage Site Listing : USM.
Retrieved from :
https://www.nst.com.my/news/nation/2017/07/260672/kedahs-sg-batu-archaeological-complex-ready-world-heritage-site-listing
Mokhtar Saidin. Retrieved from https://arkeologi.usm.my/index.php/en/gerbang-info/perpustakaan-ppag/author/1?start=5
mStar. (2016). Rahsia Sungai Batu Yang Belum Terungkai
Retrieved from :
https://www.mstar.com.my/lain-lain/rencana/2016/07/15/rahsia-sungai-batu
Museum Volunteers, JMM. (2013) Pre-Historic Skeletons in Lenggong Valley
Retrieved from :
https://museumvolunteersjmm.com/2013/03/21/pre-historic-skeletons-in-lenggong-valley/
Ng. Grace. (2019). Travel to Sungai Batu to see sites over 2000 years
old.
Retrieved from :
https://www.freemalaysiatoday.com/category/leisure/2019/08/26/travel-to-sungai-batu-to-see-sites-over-2000-years-old/
Saidin, M., & Shahidan, S. (2019). Engaging Archaeology through Performing Arts: Prospect and Challenges in Malaysia. Wacana Seni Journal of Arts Discourse, 18.
Unburying The Past
National Film Development Corporation (2013)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RiqR_q805Ew
Universiti Sains Malaysia. (n.d.). Prof. Dato’ Dr. Mokhtar Saidin. Retrieved from https://arkeologi.usm.my/index.php/en/pages/37-prof-dato-dr-mokhtar-saidin