This page promotes the recent works on history of Old Kedah, and the archaeological discovery of Bujang Valley. Old Kedah is an ancient city state situated in the Bujang Valley which covers an area between the valleys of Muda river in the South to the Merbok river in the North. This ancient coastal settlement served as a port, and in later period an entrepôt between the 2nd Century B.C to the 14t
h Century A.D. Strategically located at the entrance of the Straits of Malacca with a suitable geomorphological setup for a natural harbour, Old Kedah was continuously visited by foreign traders as well as pilgrims mostly coming from China, the Indian Subcontinent as well as the Middle East. Due to the economic importance, Old Kedah continuously existed as a part of a more dominant empire such as Funan, Srivijaya, Suvarnabhumi, Majapahit dan Malacca. After the 15th Century C.E., the agrarian Sultanate of Kedah, which was the successor of the defunct port-polity, went under the political hegemony of Siam. Aside from the Arabic, Indian and Chinese historical records, the history of Old Kedah is interpreted according to the vast discoveries unearthed from various archaeological complexes in the Bujang Valley such as Kampung Sungai Mas, Kampung Pengkalan Bujang, Kampung Sireh, Kampung Simpor Tambang and the recently discovered Sungai Batu. Among the findings include monuments, sculptures, inscriptions, ceramics, beads and metal objects. These cultural materials give important insights into the political, economical and cultural landscape of the area.
