Kuala kedah: Several iron cannonballs believed to be remnants of the 1821 Kedah-Siam War have been added to the Kota Kuala Kedah Museum collection after being handed over to the museum. The cannonballs, discovered about 20 years ago at the Kuala Kedah estuary near here, were handed over by the Tunku Kassim Foundation through Tunku Mansor Tunku Kassim, a grandson of the late Sultan Abdul Hamid Halim Shah, the 26th Sultan of Kedah.
According to BERNAMA News Agency, the historical artefacts were handed over during a commemorative carnival held in honour of Malaysia's first prime minister and founding father, Tunku Abdul Rahman Putra Al-Haj, at the Kota Kuala Kedah Museum, where they will be preserved and displayed to the public. Lembah Bujang Archaeological Museum director Azhar Mohamed Noor, who represented the director-general of the Department of Museums Malaysia, said the cannonballs were historically significant as they were believed to be linked to the 1821 Kedah-Siam War.
He said the items were previously kept by an individual as part of his personal collection before being handed over to the museum for preservation. "These artefacts hold historical value and we greatly appreciate the efforts of the individual who kept them and came forward to hand them over to the museum so they can be preserved and passed down to future generations. We welcome more individuals with old items or historical artefacts to donate them to museums as we have a shared responsibility to safeguard these valuable treasures," he told reporters at the carnival here.
Azhar said the museum had previously conducted studies on the cannonballs, which were found in various sizes. He said the handover of such collections was important as historical items kept in private possession risked being lost to public knowledge if they were not properly preserved. "Members of the public should come and see valuable artefacts like these, especially the younger generation, so they can learn more about Kedah's history and understand events that took place in the past," he said.
Azhar said the Department of Museums Malaysia had also been conducting the Collection Donation Campaign for nearly two years to encourage the public to hand over collections or old items with historical value. He said every item submitted would first be assessed by an evaluation committee based on its historical value, aesthetics and significance before a decision was made on whether it would be accepted as part of the museum collection.
"Not every artefact received will immediately become part of the collection. We have an evaluation committee that will assess the value of each item before accepting and displaying it. For individuals who donate collections, we will issue certificates of appreciation as a token of thanks for their contribution in preserving historical treasures," he said.
He added that apart from cannonballs, various other old discoveries had also been found in the Kota Kuala Kedah area, including coins. However, the handling of certain items must take into account legal provisions and monitoring by relevant heritage authorities.