Gold-Layered Island Discovered in Indonesian Territory, Causing Worldwide Sensation
The recent surge in gold prices over several years has made this precious metal increasingly sought after as an investment instrument. Gold’s popularity is hardly new; historically, it has been coveted for its relatively stable value.
When news emerged of an island holding vast gold reserves, many people were tempted to seek it. Remarkably, the legend of a gold island that had been considered mythical for hundreds of years proved to be genuine—the island exists and lies within Indonesian territory.
Sought Worldwide
In classical times, people and scholars across various regions worldwide documented stories and records of a gold island in distant lands. In India, classical works and verses described voyages to a gold island called Suvarnabhumi. Greek and Roman scholars who lived around 31 AD to 416 AD, thousands of years ago, similarly recounted tales of a gold-rich island south of India. One text from the 1st century AD specifically mentions the location, stating “the gold island is at the sun directly overhead”—meaning on the equator.
In China, ancient manuscripts from the Ming Dynasty (14th century) referred to the land of San Fo Tjai as gold-rich and located in the southern region.
Regardless of which ancient civilisation’s version one considers, all accounts described the gold island as wealthy in gold. Anyone who travelled there would surely become prosperous, as every layer of soil contained gold. These stories were finally verified during the age of maritime exploration around the 15th century. As seafaring became feasible, the legendary gold island that had captivated the world for thousands of years was discovered to be in the Nusantara region, now Indonesia. The island’s name was Sumatra.
At this juncture, historian O.W. Wolters, in “The Rise and Decline of Srivijaya” (2017), cited these various records as evidence of Southeast Asia and Sumatra’s prominence as a major source of gold.
A Gold-Layered Land
Advancing knowledge further confirmed that Sumatra’s gold island was not fiction. Local inhabitants began mining operations. In West Sumatra, William Marsden documented in “The History of Sumatra” (1811) that in the 19th century, Padang received ten thousand ounces, or 283 kilograms, of gold from 1,200 inland mines. Each mine was estimated to have an economic value of one million guilders—considerable profit from Padang’s gold mining.
Aceh’s operations were even more spectacular. Denys Lombard, in “The Kingdom of Aceh” (1986), explained that the kingdom possessed 300 gold mines, each reportedly capable of producing endless supplies of 24-carat gold. European observer Agustin de Beaulie similarly noted that Aceh’s soil layers could yield gold, sometimes in lumps.
Based on these facts, the colonial period brought Sumatra’s gold wealth to full light. Dutch colonisers conducted large-scale exploration and exploitation there, as gold became a lucrative resource alongside spices. Local inhabitants also profited from gold, often processing and trading it. This gave rise to new wealthy entrepreneurs who built their fortunes through gold businesses and ownership. Following independence, these entrepreneurs contributed significantly to Indonesia’s development.
Gold mining continues to this day, though extraction volumes have declined compared to other Indonesian regions such as Papua.