Introduction

Agop in the Orang Sungai language in the Kinabatangan District means cave. In Sabah, particularly in the east coast area, there is an interesting network of limestone caves such as Baturong, Gomantong, Madai, Batu Tulug, Miasias and others. With the height of about 39 metres from forest floor, Agop Batu Tulug in the Kinabatangan district is part of the Labang limestone formation of 20 - 25 million years.

Batu Tulug and its caves are unique and special in its own way. The caves contain ancient monuments which are historical evidence of Sabah 200 - 250 years ago and therefore is suitably preserved as Sabah's heritage.

It is for this reason that Agop batu Tulug is turned into a site museum and opened to the public on 6 July 1996. Apart from the caves and their contents, a number of facilities are provided by the Sabah Museum Department such as information centre, staircase leading to the caves, toilets, bridge, footpath and huts for resting. These facilities enable visitors to have a pleasant visit while at the Agop Batu Tulug Museum.

The Kinabatangan District
The Kinabatangan District is the biggest district in Sabah with an area of 10,936.73 square kilometres. Besides being largely covered by jungle this district also contains a network of limestone caves. There are various views on the origin of the name Kinabatangan. Among these are the views of the western orientalist who believed that the name Kinabatangan referred to the "Chinese River". In Hakka dialect it means "now we possess this land". According to the local people, Kinabatangan in their language refers to the bird nest scrapper, a long wooden pole used for harvesting bird nest which is plentiful in the caves in the east coast.

The majority of the population of Kinabatangan are the Orang Sungai, Idahan, Tidong, Kagayan and Suluk. In addition to these there are also a number of minority communities such as the Minokok, Mangkahak, Sukang, Makiang, Rumanau, Sinabu and Pingas.

The Agop Batu Tulug is a steep and isolated limestone cliff reaching a height of 39 metres. The Agop Batu Tulug comprised three main caves. The first cave, the Agop Suriba (lower cave) lies at the forest floor. The Agop Lintanga (middle cave) and the Agop Sawat (upper cave) are located at a height between 12 to 15 metres. There are openings in the middle and upper caves which enable visitors a view of the Batu Putih village and its surrounding. Another cave Agop Dimunduk (upper most cave) is located near the summit of the cliff.

What can you find in the Agop Batu Tulug Museum ?
The Agop Lintanga and Agop Sawat (middle and upper caves) contain more than one hundred carved coffins of about 200 - 250 years of age. These coffins were made from 'belian' hardwood, Eusideroxylon zwager and decorated with carvings of buffalo head, crocodile, house lizard and snake. The carvings on the coffins reflect the myths and legends of the Kinabatangan people, e.g., a crocodile is related to death and the power darkness while the bugang bird, dog, rooster and deer were friends of their heroes.

However, the origin of the burial activities is still a mystery. Some were of the opinion that these caves were the former burial sites of the Chinese people who had a settlement in Kinabatangan. The form of the carved coffins resemble those which were used by the Orang Sungai community in the past such as those found in the Agop Masias.

Human bones were also found in the coffins together with a number if gong, blowpipe, spear, Chinese artefacts, ceramic and personal ornaments. Agop Suriba is occupied by bats and swallows. Agop Lintanga is the biggest of the caves with a ceiling height of 12 - 15 metres. The surrounding areas are covered with jungle except for Batu Putih village. The main vegetation is a combination of river bank, lowland, dipterocarp rain forest and limestone vegetations. The species commonly found here are the 'seraya majau' ( Shorea leptociadus ), 'seraya uratmata beludu'     ( Parashorea tormentella ) and belian ( Eusideroxylon zwageri ). The big tree species reaches a height of 30 - 45 metres. The highest tree is the 'mangis' ( Koompasia excelsa ) which is a favourite spot for the wild honey bees to make hives. The forest in Sabah is among the oldest in the world.

The animals found in the jungle include the orang utan, proboscis monkey, hornbill and the like.

The discovery of the caves
According to the folklore of the Kinabatangan and Segama people (who had been occupying the area since time immemorial) the discovery of the limestone caves and rock shelter were related to the tales of the wandering heroes. It was believed that Raja Tua Baturong was related to the discovery of Agop Tagasang and Gomantong; Sangan Giwai and Pasila to Miasias; Sidadak to Batu Tulug and so on. According to local folklore, the heroes ended their wandering days with special rewards for themselves and their generations. Among the rewards were the caves which were important places for one to go on a recluse or places to practise asceticism. The caves also serve as permanent burial sites for the loved ones.

Agop Batu Tulug was explored in 1894 by an expedition led by Mr. P. Brietag, the manager of a tobacco estate at Batu Putih. In 1965, Mrs.Barbara Harrison (Sarawak Museum) together with a group from Sabah Museum made an early survey and study of Agop Batu Tulug. This was the start of an archaeological study of the caves which provides valuable information regarding the prehistory of the caves and the inhabitants of Sabah.

Location
The Batu Tulug is located at Batu Putih village about 41 km from the Kota Kinabatangan township, the new administrative centre of Kinabatangan district. The Batu Tulug limestone cliff reaching 39 metres high can be seen clearly from the Sandakan - Lahad Datu highway and located about 0.8 km away from the Kinabatangan river.

The Agop Batu Tulug Site Museum can be reached either from Sandakan (one and half hour's drive) or Lahad Datu (45 minutes drive). The 400 km journey by road from Kota Kinabalu takes about six hours.