Siti Zuraina Abdul Majid (born October 3, 1944) ^[1] is a historian and considered to be the first archaeologist in Malaysia, ^{[2] [3] [4] [5]} who has won the Merdeka Award for Outstanding Scholastic Achievement in 2020. ^{[3] [4] [6] [7] [5]} Siti Zuraina has investigated and excavated many sites in Peninsular Malaysia, Sabah, and Sarawak. ^[1] She has also worked in many important excavations for the lower Paleolithic period in Malaysia, Thailand, and the Philippines. ^[1] Siti Zuraina has been credited with laying the foundation to develop the field of archaeology in Malaysia since the 1970s. ^{[2] [3] [4] [6]} For her contributions to archaeology, she has received an honorary Doctor of Humanities degree. ^[8]

Siti Zuraina was born in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. ^[2] She was in the graduating batch of 1960/61 at Convent Bukit Nanas. ^[1] Afterward, Siti Zuraina got her Bachelor of Arts in Chinese Studies from the University of Malaya, and her Master of Arts in Oriental Studies from Cambridge University. ^{[2] [8]} In 1979, she earned her PhD in Archaeology from Yale University. ^{[2] [8]}

To begin her career as an archaeologist, Siti Zuraina started working as the Director of the Centre for Archaeological Research at the University of Malaya. ^{[1] [2]} In 2003, she was assigned as the first Heritage Commissioner for Malaysia, leading the Heritage Department of The Ministry of Culture Arts and Tourism. ^[1]

Siti Zuraina has established the Department of National Heritage to protect Malaysia's historical heritage and archaeological artifacts. ^{[3] [4] [6]} She also contributed to the development of the National Heritage Act 2005, requiring all land to be developed away from any historical artifacts to protect the artifacts from disappearing. ^{[1] [3]}

From 2011 to 2015, Siti Zuraina was selected as Malaysia's Head of Delegation at the United Nations Education, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) World Heritage Committee. ^{[1] [5]} Through her efforts, Lenggong Valley obtained a UNESCO World Heritage Site status on June 30, 2012. ^{[1] [4] [6] [7] [9]} She has also obtained UNESCO inscriptions for the historical Melaka and George Town, Penang. ^{[3] [7] [5]} As well as, playing an important role in getting the UNESCO Memory of the World inscription for Batu Bersurat Terengganu, enriching Malaysian heritage. ^{[3] [7] [5]}

In 2017, Siti Zuraina was inducted into the Academy of Science Malaysia. ^{[1] [5]} She has also served as a Heritage Advisor to the HRH Sultan of Selangor and Commissioner for Malaysia's Heritage Resources. ^{[1] [2] [5]}

Siti Zuraina has written and published many articles and four books. ^[2] A notable book she wrote is The Perak Man and other Prehistoric Skeletons of Malaysia, which provides an overview of the discoveries found from archaeological site excavations in Malaysia. ^{[1] [2]}

Siti Zuraina initially went to Lenggong Valley in Perak to find a missing historical link to prehistoric migration. ^[7] During the visit, Siti Zuraina had a hunch that the formed stones found were man-made and wanted to further investigate, so she raised money with her husband to revisit the area later and do an excavation. ^{[3] [7]} There, she discovered the 74,000-year-old Paleolithic stone tool artifact site of Kota Tampan and the 11,000-year-old Paleolithic skeleton of the Perak Man. ^{[3] [4] [6] [7] [8] [5]} Kota Tampan showed how early tools were made in a tropical climate, which differs from how early tools were made in Europe. ^[6] The Perak Man is one of the oldest human skeletons found in Malaysia and is used as one of the earliest evidence of a rare birth defect called Brachymesophalangia Type A2. ^{[3] [6] [7] [5]} Additionally, the discovery of the Perak Man led to the revelation of a Paleolithic burial ceremony in Southeast Asia. ^[5] Siti Zuraina's research found that Peninsular Malaysia was used as early migratory routes from Africa to Australia, ^{[8] [5]} providing evidence of one of the earliest habitations in Southeast Asia. ^[6] Through these discoveries at Lenggong Valley, Malaysia was placed on the archaeological map, ^{[6] [7] [9]} when before, compared to the rest of Southeast Asia, Malaysia wasn't a part of archaeological interest. ^[6] The discoveries that Siti Zuraina made has been written down and taught in the textbooks in Malaysian schools. ^[3]

Siti Zuraina also discovered the prehistoric sites Niah caves, Sarawak. ^[8] In her excavations, she found the remains of a 2,000-year-old man with a rare congenital deformity called Amelia. ^[7]

Through her discoveries and findings, Siti Zuraina got Universiti Sains Malaysia to establish the Center for Archaeological Research to advance archaeology further in Malaysia. ^{[3] [4] [6] [7] [5]} Through the Masters and PhD programs, Siti Zuraina personally trained and taught students to be future archaeologists. ^{[1] [3] [4] [5]} In 2001, she won the Research Excellence Award from Universiti Sains Malaysia. ^[5]

In 1993, Siti Zuraina received the title of Dato' Paduka Mahkota Perak. ^{[1] [2]} She was awarded the prestigious Penang Government Medal and Order of the State of Perak for the Defender of the Crown. ^{[1] [2]} Her name and signature are also inscribed on many heritage plagues throughout Malaysia. ^{[1] [2]}

When she received the Merdeka award for Outstanding Scholastic Achievement in 2020, she dedicated the award to her late husband and her "dream team," that she worked with in Lenggong. ^[7] She also won the Women at 50 Yale award in 2020. ^{[2] [7] [5]}