The prehistoric area of Liangkabori Cave and Liang Metanduno, located in Muna Regency, Southeast Sulawesi, has now been officially recognized as a National-Level Cultural Heritage Site. This strategic decision was made by the Ministry of Culture following a series of verification processes and an in-depth designation hearing by the National Cultural Heritage Expert Team.
Minister of Culture Fadli Zon shared the good news while attending the 4th Liangkabori Festival on Sunday (12/7/2026). He emphasized that the formal announcement of this national status is scheduled to take place in early August, serving as a form of government appreciation for invaluable cultural heritage.
World attention is now focused on Liang Metanduno following the results of a collaborative research project between several universities and Griffith University, Australia, released in early 2026. Using advanced laser ablation uranium-series testing methods, researchers successfully identified that an ancient visual pigment measuring 14 cm x 10 cm at the site is at least 67,800 years old.
This phenomenal discovery has been recorded in the Guinness Book of Records 2026 as the world's oldest non-figurative cave painting. This achievement significantly alters the global map of archaeological history, as the site in Muna is recorded to be older than historic sites in Europe, such as Chauvet Cave and Lascaux in France, as well as the Maltravieso site in Spain.
At the national level, this age record also surpasses the finding at Leang Karampuang, Maros Pangkep, South Sulawesi, which was previously estimated to be 51,200 years old. This designation is expected to become a momentum for the revival of archaeological site conservation in the country and serve as a new magnet for international archaeological research in Indonesia.
