Archaeological Evidence of Penang's Cosmopolitan Islamic Heritage

THERE ARE SIGNIFICANT archaeological traces that hint at a vibrant historical past in Penang. From the discoveries of the Penang Woman at Guar Kepah dated circa 4th millennia BCE, to the finding of structures and artefacts from the prosperous Bujang Valley at Kota Aur and Cherok Tok Kun circa 6th to 12th centuries CE, this area had been evidently settled by complex and developed societies in its distant past.

The arrival of Islam, through Middle Eastern and South Indian Muslim maritime voyagers, marked a transformative period, beginning with the mass conversion of the Kedah Sultanate in 1136 CE^[1], as recorded in Al-Tarikh Silsilah Negeri Kedah (ATSK). This period saw economic, cultural and religious development that continued into the early modern era, and whose legacy may still be seen to date.