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Dr. Bui Chi Hoang, Director of Southern Institute of Social Sciences’ Archaeology Research Center, devotes himself to studying Cham cultural vestiges. Together with archaeologists coming Waseda University, Japan, he studied some Cham vestiges in Binh Dinh province. He is now in charge of the archaeological excavation of Binh Lam tower. Binh Dinh Newspaper’s Hoai Thu spoke with him about Cham towers in Binh Dinh.
* What is the purpose of Waseda University’s archaeologists studying Cham vestiges in Binh Dinh?
Waseda University is one of top universities in Japan. Its Department of Old Architecture got UNESCO’s permission to restore old architectural vestiges in the world. At present, they are restoring architectural vestiges in Hue city and Angkor Temple in Cambodia.
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The archaeological excavation of Binh Lam tower has been undergone. Photo HT |
The Southern Institute of Social Sciences and Waseda University’s archaeologists led by Assoc. Prof. Moroka Mariko have studied old architectural vestiges in provinces of Lam Dong, Binh Dinh, and Quang Nam.
We studied Cha citadel, Emperor citadel, Binh Lam tower, Banh It (Silver) tower, Canh Tien (Fairy Wings) tower, and items preserved at Binh Dinh Museum. The study was the initial preparation for other studies in the coming time.
Japanese archaeologists were greatly concerned of Cham architectural vestiges, particularly Cham old citadel in Binh Dinh. I’m continuing to work with Waseda University’s researchers as well as international archaeologists for further studies on Cham cultural vestiges in Binh Dinh in the future.
* Last year’s 2nd excavation of Duong Long towers unearthed many valuable items. Do you think that the excavation of Duong Long towers should be continued in the coming time?
Two excavations unearthed many valuable items. Duong Long towers proved them quintessence of Cham sculpture. We, therefore, should continue the excavation to discover all sculptures in the earth’s womb.
Also, many areas surrounding towers haven’t been excavated. The excavation, thus, must be continued in many years to have a full study on Duong Long towers for the restoration.
* Could you talk more about the archaeological excavation of Binh Lam tower?
We opened some excavation holes around the center of tower to study its foundation. The area surrounding the foundation will also be excavated, aiming to search for buried items and other vestiges.
We plan to dig other small excavation holes to study the scale of the tower. We unearthed a layer of bricks on the side of the tower. We think that Binh Lam tower has a large scale with many small architectural works. However, they may be still in residential areas because Binh Lam tower’s original state was broken.
We do believe that there will be deeper understanding of Binh Lam tower after the excavation is finished.
* From archaeologist’s point of view, what should be done to enhance Cham towers’ values in Binh Dinh?
Binh Dinh’s Cham towers have undergone restoration and embellishment. In the short term, it’s necessary to have a full study on items collected from Cham towers. A collection of sculptures relating to the architecture of Cham towers, especially Duong Long towers will be formed then. They should be carefully preserved in a museum. These can help promote Cham towers’ values in Binh Dinh effectively.
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