Bujang Valley Site Analysis

1. Site Analysis of
Lembah Bujang
Archeological Museum
Prepared by: Maria Rosa Seu, Claire Zhuang, Mahi Abdul Muhsin, Alvin Mungur

2. History of
Lembah Bujang

3. z
1474
10th- 14th Century AD
10th Century AD
8th – 9th Century AD
7th – 8th Century AD
7th Century AD
Between 5th and 4th Century AD
1st Century AD
Kedah ruler, Sultan Muzaffar Shah, converted to
Islam, followed by his people.
Pengkalan Bujang becomes an entrepot.
Lembah Bujang residents returned to
Hinduism and opened new settlements in
Sungai Muda.
Mahayana Buddhism influence made
a comeback in Kedah.
The shape of temples and the
direction they faced indicated
the Linga practiced by Kedah
Hindus.
Tang Dynasty monk I-
Ching, noted that the
kingdom was a center of
trade and commerce.
Hindu & Buddhist
influences arrive.
Kedah’s early history began
in Lembah Bujang.
Brief Timeline of Lembah Bujang Civilization:
1200
Years
old.
Floor Plan

4. Religion & Culture in
Lembah Bujang

5. The 3 main religions that were prominent in Lembah Bujang were:
• Animism
• Buddhism
• Hinduism

6. Animism
• Earliest form of belief in Lembah Bujang
before any other religion.
• The belief that everything in this worl,
including plants and inanimate objects,
has a soul or spirit.
• Excavation of candis and ancient
artefacts support the fact that the first
dwellers in Lembah Bujang believed in
animism.

7. Hinduism
• Lembah Bujang was an important ancient
Hindu kingdom in South East Asia.
• Hindu influences arrived from the 4th to 5th
century.
• Hinduism diminished for a few centuries until
the 10th century, where new settlements in
Sungai Muda were created and the religion
made a resurgence.
• Kedah became the center of power and
economy due to its strategic place. It had very
close connections with many countries of the
ancient world. These relations helped spread
Hindu culture and religion to the Malays.
• Hinduism affected the architecture and spatial
layout of the candis.

8. Buddhism
• Buddhism phase from the 5th to the 10th century.
• Dominantly in Bukit Meriam, Bukit Choras and the
places by the beach.
Glory of Srivijaya
• From the 7th to 9th century, Lembah Bujang was
under the control of the Srivijaya. Trading activities
began to blossom and Hinduism started to spread as
it was near Srivijaya.When Lembah Bujang reached its
entrepot status, Hindu Buddhism was widely spread
to Matang, Pasir, Merbok, Batu Lintang and Tikam
Batu.
• The outcome of the introduction of these religions
has brought to the invention of many religious
artifacts and also candis. Eg. Artefacts such as beads,
broken pieces of ceramic vases, glasses and porcelain.
Besides that, there were many religious Buddhist
statues that was made.

9. Main Activities in
Lembah Bujang

10. Iron Smelting
• Iron smelting was a popular activity in Lembah Bujang from the 3rd-5th Century A.D.
• This is supported by findings of metal artefacts, remains of furnaces, thousands of iron
ores, tuyeres and slags.
• The widespread availability of ironin Lembah Bujang allowed for society to come up with
innovative technology to smelt iron.
• With the existence of iron smelting technology, Lembah Bujang is widely known as
“Kadaram” (Sanskrit : Iron), indicating how well the area was known as an industrialized
kingdom.
• Furnaces of different shapes and sizes are found in many places in Lembah Bujang,
proving how active this places was as an iron smelting port.

11. Trading
• It was the imposing peak of Mount Jerai that first captivated the travel
weary traders from the Far East to anchor at Bujang Valley. After travelling
for months in the high seas, the 1,217 metre Mount Jerai must have been a
welcoming sight for the seafarers. That was a landmark for the sailors after
so many weeks at sea.
• The route to China was too long to sail and the monsoon arrived. Heavy
rainfall and devastating hurricanes are dangerous at sea. Their ships could
go down and they had to wait until the monsoon was over. As Kedah is
located at the centre between the journey, it was a perfect spot for the
Indian and Chinese to shelter themselves as they wait for the monsoon
season to pass.

12. • At the mean time, while the traders from China and India waited for the monsoon
season to pass, they created a trading centre in Lembah Bujang, trading good
from their home country such as textiles and ceramics from China, Maniks and
spices from India in return with local forest harvest , shelter and other resources.
• Effectively, it became an entrepot; port, city or trading post where merchandise
may be imported, stored and/or traded, typically to beexported again. In the days
of wind-powered sailing, such centers had a critical role.
• During the wait, traders from overseas also bring in their own religion and also
cultures to the inhabitants in Lembah Bujang. Buddhist inscriptions found in the
valley were proof that the Indians traders were already making frequent visits to
the area since the early periods, therefore explains why Lembah Bujang has a
strong connection with the Indians.
Trading

13. An artist's impression of trade activities in Lembah Bujang during ancient
times. Picture from the Bujang Valley Archaeological Museum.

14. Site Plan

15. Key Plan

17. Micro Site Plan

18. Cross Sections

21. Vegetation

22. Moisture of Site Area

23. Hydrology Cycle on Site Area

24. Vegetation Specifics
Bengal Bamboo
Height: 1.2-2.4m
Diameter: 3 inch
Characteristics: A type of grass; Stems has dark green straight
stalky culms; Leaves are long and narrow and green in color
Areca Gurita
Family: Arecaceae
Characteristics:
Rachillae of Areca Gurita are recurved and resemble octopus
tentacles, and the flowers are mostly arranged in one row.
flowers arranged spirally on the rachillae
Hawaiian Red Ti Plant
Height: 0.9-1.2m
Characteristics:
A palmlike evergreen shrub with a strong, usually unbranched
trunk. Leaves may be glossy green, reddish purple, or
marked with various combinations of purple, red, yellow or
white.

25. Bougainvillea
Height: 1-12m
Characteristics:
With spiky thorns in black and waxy
substance; leaves are alternate and
simple ovate-acuminate; 0.04-0.13m
long and 0.02-0.06m broad
Keruing Tree
Family: Dipterocarpaceae
Height: 25-45m
Diameter: 3-6 inches
Characteristics: generic name comes from
Greek and means "two-winged fruits".
Overall appearance and grain patterning is
rather homogenous and bland.
Vegetation Specifics

26. Cyrtostachys Renda (Lipstick palm tree)
Family: Arecaceae
Characteristics: name derived from Greek word: "an ear of grain”.
rare and exotic because of the time it takes for a seed to germinate
and palm availability. native to Thailand, Borneo, Malaysia and
Sumatra.
-needs high humidity, a lot of water, and is not tolerant of drought or
wind.
Meranti Tree
Height: 20-40m
Diameter: 1-2m
Characteristics: dark reddish or purplish brown
in colour with white resin streaks; rough surface
Vegetation Specifics

27. Malaysia Dracaena:
Family: Asparagacaea
Category: Tropical and tender perennials
Height: 1.8-2.4 m/ 1.2-1.5m
Characteristics:
The leaves generally have green central areas surrounded on both sides
with yellow.
Bonsai Tree
Height: 1.2-2m
Characteristics: Can be created from nearly any perennial woody-
stemmed tree or shrub species that produces true branches
-uses cultivation techniques like pruning, root reduction, potting,
defoliation and grafting to produce small trees that mimic the shape and
style of mature, full-size trees.
Vegetation Specifics

29. Views
And Vistas

30. VIEWS
THROUGH
SITE

32. PANAROMIC VIEWS OUTSIDE THE MUSEUM

33. Circulation &
Access

34. Getting to Kedah by Motor Transport
Kuala Lumpur
Kedah
• Take the route via North-South
Expy/E1
• About 4 hours and 30 mins drive
• 437 km

35. Accessibility to Lembah Bujang
Route from Sungai Petani is
20.9 km.
Route from Alor Star is 70km.
The Bujang Valley Archaeological Museum is 2.5
km from Merbok town.
There is no direct public transport to the
museum, however, visitors can hire a taxi from
the nearest town, Sungai Petani, which is only a
20-minute drive from Merbok town.
Alternatively, they can also get a taxi from the
capital city of Kedah, Alor Star which is 70 km
from Merbok town.

36. Density of Vehicles
Type of vehicles and users:
29%27% 44%
• Tourists
• Workers
• Workers
• Locals
• Tourist
(Group)
0%
20%
40%
60%
80%
100%
0%
20%
40%
60%
80%
100%
0%
20%
40%
60%
80%
100%

37. According to seasons:
Normal Days Weekends Public Holiday
Low
Density
High
Density
Density of Vehicles

38. Light Transportation

39. Heavy Transportation

40. Bicycle and Mortorcycle

41. Pedestrian Walkway

42. Climatic Data of
Lembah Bujang

43. Average Temperature (April):
31 32 33 33 34 34 33
25 26
24 24 25 26 26
0
5
10
15
20
25
30
35
40
HIGHEST TEMPERATURE LOWEST TEMPERATURE

44. Average Precipitation on a Typical Day:
0%
10%
20%
30%
40%
50%
60%
70%
1:00 PM4:00 PM7:00 PM 10:00
PM
1:00
AM
4:00
AM
7:00
AM
10:00
AM
Chart Title
SUNNY DAY RAINY/ WINDY DAY

45. Average Humidity:
66% 68% 70% 72% 74% 76% 78%
SUNDAY
SATURDAY
FRIDAY
THURSDAY
WEDNESDAY
TUESDAY
MONDAY
AVERAGE HUMIDITY PERCENTAGE
Series 1

46. Sun Path

47. Sunpath Diagram
Maria Rosa Seu
Sun path during site visit (22nd of April)

53. Wind
Direction

54. Maria Rosa Seu

55. Noise at
Site

56. Maria Rosa Seu