Minister of Culture: Sriwijaya Museum to be Prepared as Cultural Research Laboratory
The Minister of Culture, Fadli Zon, has stated that the Sriwijaya Dharmakirti Museum, located within the Muarajambi National Cultural Heritage Area (KCBN), is being prepared to serve as a cultural research laboratory.
“Let us make the Sriwijaya Dharmakirti Museum a bridge between the memories of the past and the designs for the future, between local knowledge and global conversation, and between the protection of cultural heritage and its utilisation for the welfare of the community,” said Minister Fadli Zon during the inauguration at KCBN Muarajambi on Friday.
The Minister emphasised that the museum’s existence should serve as a vital momentum to strengthen synergy between provincial and district/city governments, the private sector in Jambi, and universities. He further noted that the museum is expected to function not merely as a repository for historical artefacts, but as a laboratory for multidisciplinary research and learning.
Research development within the museum area will encompass various disciplines, including archaeology, history, conservation, hydrology, linguistics, digitalisation, and cultural economics.
“We have a funding mechanism called the Dana Indonesia Raya. This year, we are utilising 500 billion IDR, and the announcement process is in its final stages. Jambi will receive a significant portion,” Fadli Zon added.
The Director General of Cultural Protection and Tradition at the Ministry of Culture, Restu Gunawan, added that since the revitalisation process began in 2022, comprehensive preservation efforts for the Muarajambi KCBN have been ongoing. The development of the museum, situated on 29 hectares within the KCBN development zone, is being conducted through strict and planned procedures. He noted that before construction commenced, teams performed archaeological soil testing to ensure that development does not overlap with or damage underground cultural heritage structures.
The Governor of Jambi, Al Haris, remarked that the museum is a positive step towards presenting the historical track record of Jambi Province more comprehensively, given that the temple complex has not yet been fully excavated or revealed to the public. “The presence of the museum is expected to serve as a miniature of past history, recording the traces of civilisation,” said Al Haris.
The curator of the Sriwijaya Dharmakirti Museum detailed that the collection includes dozens of statues, stone and metal artefacts, ceramics, patterned bricks, pottery, and various metal nails discovered within the Muarajambi KCBN, alongside other interesting collections gathered from various regions across the province.