Gua Teluk Kelawar, Lenggong (Caves)

Gua Teluk Kelawar, Lenggong

Gua Teluk Kelawar is located at the Bukit Kepala Gajah limestone complex, latitude 5° 07.44’ north and longitude 100° 58.60’ east, 76 meters above sea level. Located one kilometer from Lenggong, Perak, research was first carried out by the Malaysian Archaeological Research Centre until 1990. Later on, Universiti Sains Malaysia (USM) also carried out excavation works and found that the cave was used 11,000 to 6,000 years ago.

Many artifacts found at the site include tools and food deposits such as river snails, Brotia Costula and Brotia spinosa. There were also evidence of wild boar and deer, and this denoted that the environment was very much the same as today’s tropical rainforest.

Research also uncovered human remains (GTK 1) dated 8,000 years ago. There were also stone tools and food deposits at the site. The burial indicated that the Palaeothic era in Malaysia continued until early holosen, before they made pottery. Gua Teluk Kelawar also has protective features commonly found during the formation of limestone in Malaysia.

As such, early man (10,000 years ago) used the cave as a stop-point. Excavations uncovered stone tools, food deposits as well as animal bones, shells and pieces of pottery.
A human remain aged 8,000 years ago, named Perak Woman, was found at Gua Teluk Kelawar in 2004. She was 148 centimetres tall and was believed to have been 40 years old when she was buried.