Tet el Bad is a very strange Unesco tentative site. It is a rectangular stone coffin or sarcophagus located on top of a raised platform behind the chiefs’ meeting house in Ollei traditional village in Ngarchelong State. The stone coffin is a fine example of expert carving of a sarcophagus with both the casket and the lid made of andesite rock. The coffin has a length of 233 centimeters and a width 66 centimeters and a height of 40 centimeters.
No human remains have been found inside, leading to speculation about whether it was ever used or if the remains were removed or decayed beyond recognition. The absence of inscriptions or artifacts within the coffin leaves its story untold.
This site was submitted to the tentative list in 2004, by a :Rita Olsudong Archaeologist, Palau". Nothing is noted in the submitted writeup on the significance of this site, or how it satisfies the criteria of outstanding universal value (OUV). Even if this is indeed significant, perhaps a better place to display it is in a museum, instead of leaving it exposed to the elements, with no explanation panels and little indication of maintenance or visitor management. When I mentioned this to a site caregiver of another attraction, she commented that the coffin could have spiritual significance to the local community, and possibly a relic related to the demigods of the region. That could be the reason why it was left there and not taken to a museum.