PENANG will soon unveil its Guar Kepah Archaeological Heritage Gallery in Kepala Batas which is expected to be a huge tourist attraction on the mainland upon completion.
Chief Minister Chow Kon Yeow said the construction of the gallery is now 94% completed and it should be opened to the public next month.
Chow told a press conference here that the skeletal remains found at Guar Kepah will eventually be returned to Penang from a museum in Leiden, Netherlands.
"We need to compile a lot of paperwork but it should be realised eventually."
Chow said the state tourism authorities will liaise with their counterparts in Perak and Kedah to prepare a network of archaeological sites for tourists to tap.
Perak has many ancient historic findings and Kedah has the Bujang Valley, which hosts arguably the oldest archaeological site in the region.
It will be coordinated by the Northern Corridor Implementation Authority (NCIA).
Chow also disclosed that the upgrading works at the state museum in Farquhar Street, will also be completed soon.
"We have fine tuned the interior and now the exterior part needs touching up."
Guar Kepah is part of the archaeological trail after human remains dating back to 5,000 years ago were found just off the Kepala Batas township area.
Besides that, artefacts dating back to the same period were also uncovered by a team of Universiti Sains Malaysia (USM) archaeologists. - The Vibes, May 15, 2024.
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