Villagers and orang asli in this part of Johor have grown up with stories about a mysterious lost city made of black stone. Some say they may have actually seen the city and others say they have seen artefacts from that city, which independent researcher Raimy Che-Ross claims could be the ancient lost city of Kota Gelanggi, reputed to be made of black stone. Kampung Sri Jaya village head Hussin Md Noor, 64, said he once saw what he believed was an artefact from the city. “It was made out of jade and was 25cm long. It looked like a part of a stand for a decorative table. I kept it with me for about two days. That was a few years ago. “It belonged to a friend of mine who was a forest ranger. He said he had obtained it during one of the trips when he brought loggers into the area,” said Hussin, who scours the area for artefacts and is known around here as a history buff. Hussin said he once met someone who had found a cak lempong (musical instrument) but had to take it back. “He had a dream that night and a voice told him to return the instrument or replace it with his life. So he returned it,” Hussin added. Despite his lack of formal education, his wealth of local knowledge had prompted Johor Heritage Foundation to publish an article by Hussin about Kampung Sungai Telor, Kampung Semanggar and Kampung Rantau Panjang. He is also a committee member of the Malaysian Historical Association (Kota Tinggi branch) and has traded stories about the lost city with other villagers in the area. “They talked about unusual incidents that took place at this city, which they called Kota Batu Hitam (Black Stone Fort),'' he said. He also said that the former village head, Ahmad Budin, had told him of a villager who believed he had stumbled into the city while looking for wood.
View: Full Article | Source: The Star
Just a lost town is all.
