Lenggong Valley UNESCO World Heritage Site

Lenggong used to be a little-known backwater town, until an archeological team from Universiti Sains Malaysia Penang came and discovered the 11,000 years old “oldest and complete” human skeletal remains found in Malaysia in the early 1990s. The discovery was named “Perak Man“, and since then, Lenggong Valley has constantly been in the news.

Lenggong Valley was successfully listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site on June 30th, 2012, after 20 painstaking years by Prof. Emeritus Datin Paduka Siti Zuraina Binti Abdul Majid, Heritage Commissioner of Malaysia and her team of researchers for Lenggong Valley to receive this World Heritage status.

Since being inscribed, I have twice visited Lenggong Valley, located 75km north of Ipoh. There are four archaeological sites in two clusters. Although I have visited a number of sites so far, I have yet to get the chance to visit Gua Gunung Runtuh, where the Perak Man was discovered.

Lenggong Valley Archaeological Gallery is the first gallery in the country to exhibit pre-historic artifacts. Behind the gallery, which has an artificial “cave entrance”, is the Lenggong Museum Geology Park. Set amidst an oil palm plantation, boulders of suevite, quartz, alluvium and even volcanic ash are exhibited.

Hunters of UNESCO World Heritage Sites and anyone who wants to learn more about Lenggong Valley first-hand, are advised to drop by the Lenggong Archaeological Gallery first. The Kota Tampan dig site is behind the Gallery.

Visiting hours:
Mon – Sat: 9am – 5pm
Fri: 9am – 12pm & 3pm – 5pm

Archaeological Gallery of the Lenggong Valley
Add: Department of National Heritage, 33400 Kota Tampan, Lenggong, Perak, Malaysia.
Tel: +605-7679700
Fax: +605-7679703

email: lenggong@heritage.gov.my

Note: View larger images by clicking on an image once this page has completely loaded. Then navigate by clicking on the right or left side of image.