Tambun Prehistoric Wall Painting

     I still remember the time when I was a school boy and I used to move around the town on bicycles with my friends.  One place that we visited was the Tambun Prehistoric Wall Painting.  It was located along the road from Ipoh to Tanjung Rambutan.  We could see the painting from the road.   There used to be a narrow path for bicycles to go right to the foot of a huge limestone hill and there  it was, the prehistoric painting.  I remember that there were steps leading up the cliff and we could go really close to the painting.  We parked our bicycles at the foot of the hill and went up the steps and took a good look at the painting. It was awesome!  How could anyone, without the aid of modern technology paint something so big on so high a wall?  It boggled our minds as to how these paintings could have lasted so long despite the rain and shine.

     Last week, I went back to that place again because I told a colleague about it but she won't believe me.  She said that she has used that road so many times before but have never seen anything or any signboards. She said that if the painting were there surely the authorities would have put up some signboards.  Next, she also claimed that as an art teacher, and a very knowledgeable one at that, it would be impossible for painting to last more than a few decades in the open.  She believes that even if I did see anything in the past, it must have been a fake.

     I knew what I have seen was real because I read about it in the  newspapers.  I remember reading about a team from UNESCO coming there to trace the painting and to spray a layer of protective material over the painting, many years ago.  It cannot be my imagination.  So, I went back to search for the place.

     Now, I know why my colleague disbelieved me.  The access to the hill was blocked by houses, development, and there is even a fenced-up field for race horses at the foot of the hill where we used to park our bicycles.  The path is gone, the steps are gone too but fortunately the painting is still there!!  It looks like someone has gone up there to touch up the painting!! I hope that I am wrong!

     The problem is that there is no proper access road to the site.  I have to go into a housing estate, and go behind the last house and then I was a small sign board beside a small opening of a wall which fenced up the field for the horses - indicating that I must sneak through this narrow opening in the wall to get anywhere near the hill.  Look at the pictures to see what I mean.

This signboard is located under a tree at a wall behind rows and rows of houses. To get to the limestone hill, I have to climb down into the field and walk about another 50 meters to see the cliff with the paintings. 

Here's another view of the signboard - it's located at a very insignificant place where most people won't go or most people would not have noticed it if they were not looking out for it.
   

This is the view of the prehistoric painting on the wall of the limestone cliff.  This picture was taken from the field where race-horses train.  The black mark on the cliff is the painting.  They look like dolphins or some sea creatures.  It was believed much of this limestone area was once beneath sea level.  And perhaps this could explain why sea-creatures are portrayed here by the pre-historic man.       

            

This is a closer picture of the cliff, the dark area on the cliff is the drawing.  Awesome isn't it?  According to reports, this drawing was first discovered in 1959 by the British soldiers and they cleared the area to build steps leading to foot of the cliff.   According to the same source, it is said that this is the only prehistoric painting found in this country done with iron oxide - so that is why it could last for so long.  Maybe next week I will visit the place again and try to find if there is another access point but until then, let's hope that this creative work of our ancestors will be preserved for the future generations to appreciate. 

One week later, I visited this place again.  This time I managed to locate another small sign-board by the side of the main road.  As shown in this picture, the signboard is small and is located some distance away from the road, so you have to be very aware to be able to notice it.  It is just immediately the Caltex petrol station as you approach the Ipoh town from Tambun. You have to drive very slowly or you will surely miss it. 

The size of the notice board is about 2 feet by 2 feet and it has a faded picture of the pre-historic painting.
   

As, I follow the arrow shown in the signboard, I went down a road and reached this place (picture above) after about 200 meters.   The road ends with a gate which opens to the polo ground which I have mentioned earlier. There is a "private property" sign and when I asked the driver of the vehicle (in the picture) who was bringing food to the horses, if I could go in and have a closer look at the pre-historic painting, he said "no, this is a private property.".

I told him "look, here is another signboard just before the gate with the arrow showing the direction of the painting, so how can I get to see it?"  He replied in the negative, he has no idea who puts it up and cannot understand why anyone wants to see such things.  I hope he is wrong about the directions. Surely there must be another access to the place, otherwise, another piece of our heritage is going to be lost forever.