World Heritage Identification Number: 1014
World Heritage since: 2024
Category: Cultural Heritage
WHE Type: Archaeological Sites
Transboundary Heritage: No
Endangered Heritage: No
Country: 🇲🇾 Malaysia
Continent: Asia
UNESCO World Region: Asia and the Pacific
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Unveiling the Rich History of the Archaeological Heritage of Niah National Park's Caves Complex
Nestled within the heart of Niah National Park, situated on the west coast of Borneo Island, lies the awe-inspiring Archaeological Heritage of Niah National Park’s Caves Complex (ANPCC). Inscribed by UNESCO in 2024, this remarkable site offers a captivating glimpse into the rich tapestry of human history that spans over 50,000 years, from the Pleistocene to the Mid-Holocene periods.
More to come…UNESCO Description of the World Heritage Site
This complex of colossal, interconnected caverns is located near the west coast of Borneo Island at the centre of Niah National Park. It contains the longest known records of human interaction with rainforest, spanning at least 50,000 years, from the Pleistocene to the Mid-Holocene periods. The rich archaeological deposits, prehistoric rock paintings and boat-shaped burials found at the northern edge of the massif illustrate biological and human life during this time, and contribute greatly to the knowledge of human development, adaptation and migration in southeast Asia, as well as in a global context. Local communities still observe an ancient tradition of molong – ‘take only what you need’— when harvesting guano and valuable edible bird’s nests from the caves.UNESCO Justification of the World Heritage Site
Criterion (iii): The Niah Caves Complex contains archaeological evidence that represents an exceptional testimony to the cultural traditions of the two disconnected populations in the distant past who existed from the Pleistocene to the Mid-Holocene, exhibiting the rainforest lifestyles, forest management systems (vegeculture), and elaborate funerary practices of prehistoric humans. It contributes significantly to the existing knowledge of human development, adaptation, and dispersal in Southeast Asia and in a global context.
Criterion (v): The Niah Caves Complex is an outstanding example of very early human settlement and land use in the Southeast Asian region, and of human interaction with a changing environment during prehistoric times.
Encyclopedia Record: Niah National Park
Niah National Park, located within Miri Division, Sarawak, Malaysia, is the site of the Niah Caves which are an archeological site.Additional Site Details
Area: 3,609 hectares
Number of Components: 1
(v) — Outstanding example of traditional human settlement
Coordinates: 3.8042916667 , 113.7807666667
Image
© Starlightchild, CC BY-SA 3.0 Resized from original. (This derivative is under the same CC BY-SA license.)
