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Four archaeological excavations of King citadel in Nhon Hau commune of An Nhon district unearthed many architectural vestiges of Thai Duc kingdom. The issue is that what needs to be done after excavations.
Old appearance of forbidden city
“On beginning the first excavation, we didn’t expect much owing to the time damage. However, results of each excavation surprised us,” said vice director of Binh Dinh Museum, Dr. Dinh Ba Hoa.
In the first excavation carried out in 2004, a semicircle lake and architectural vestiges of a palace were found. The second excavation in 2005 unearthed vestiges of another semicircle lake and the foundation of an octagonal palace. The third one in the following year identified the wall in the north of forbidden city was built under Nguyen dynasty.
Basing on findings of three excavations, archaeologists concluded that the area of the original forbidden city had the double width over known area.
This year’s excavation continued finding archaeological vestiges of the old palace and foundation of harem. Archaeologists also clearly identified Nam Giao altar, which had been theoretical predictions.
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The semicircle lake unearthed in the first excavation. Photo H.T |
“It was believed that there was no architectural work left except walls after the citadel had been damaged. However, findings helped us know more about the King citadel, especially the forbidden city. All proved a perfect plan of a palace under the Tay Son dynasty,” said Dr. Le Dinh Phung.
What needs to be done after the excavations?
There have been many suggestions for the preservation of Kinh citadel. Initially, the preservation of the wall of Ngoai citadel was a high priority, the original space of forbidden city needed to be restored by rebuilding the wall with laterite, and a shrine to commemorate Tay Son dynasty should be built on the area of old palace, added Phung.
The restoration must be divided into phases. With unearthed vestiges, it's necessary to continue the excavation. The Kinh citadel is a place where there existed many dynasties. We, therefore, need to carefully consider, according to Dr. Ha Van Phung.
Scientific evidences must be provided to make findings clearer. The restoration should be closely carried out. Before holding any national conferences, the excavation, plan building, and the overall architectural model of King citadel need to be completed.
The most concerned issue is that what must be done to preserve unearthed vestiges.
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