Raimy: The one in Pahang is not lost city

PETALING JAYA: The existence of another “Kota Gelanggi” has presented itself as a puzzle for the public since reports that a lost city is apparently located in Johor.

However, independent researcher Raimy Che-Ross, who first broke the news of the possible location of the lost city, pointed out that the one in Pahang was a cave complex with pre-historic links located about 30km from Jerantut.

“Artefacts found at the caves include pottery, food waste and traces of stone tools. Explorer William Cameron visited the site in 1882 and recorded local fairy tales about its existence,” he said yesterday.

The site was gazetted as a Historical Heritage Area in 1995 by the Pahang government.

However, the Kota Gelanggi he refers to as the lost city in Johor is well recorded by Tun Sri Lanang in the Sejarah Melayu, describing its granite structure and its location “di Hulu Sungai Johor (at the head waters of the Johor River).”

“I have no reason to doubt this description,” he said.

Raimy said he was aware of the confusion and urged interested parties to read his published findings.

His article “The ‘Lost City’ of Kota Gelanggi” appears in the latest issue of the Journal of the Malaysian Branch of the Royal Asiatic Society and could be obtained at the society’s website at www.mbras.org.my.