Early solution to preserve Lieu Coc twin towers relic

On July 8, the National Museum of History coordinated with the Department of Culture, Sports and Tourism of Hue City to report preliminary results of the second phase of archaeological excavation of the national relic of Lieu Coc Twin Towers (Kim Tra Ward, Hue City).

Unique temple complex in Vietnam

In about 1.5 months, at the Lieu Coc twin towers relic, the excavation team opened two excavation pits with a total area of 60m2, along with two exploratory pits with an area of 6m2 in the North of the North tower and the South of the South tower, to find the location, scale, and structure of the surrounding wall of the temple tower area and traces of the third temple tower (if any).

In terms of construction techniques, both towers were treated with reinforced foundations of sandy clay, and the surface was compacted with dark red laterite soil. The entire architecture mainly used bricks, layers of cold bricks were built on the outside, the inner wall core was mostly broken bricks; the bricks were arranged staggered with the joints made of diluted fine clay.

Mr. Nguyen Ngoc Chat, Deputy Head of the Collection Research Department (National Museum of History) informed: The second phase of excavation continued to reaffirm that the Lieu Coc twin towers were built from the 9th century to the beginning of the 10th century. Of which, the North tower was built first and the South tower was built about 10-20 years later.

Through the stratigraphic structure, it can be seen that the two towers have almost no difference in height, but the South tower was built on a larger scale than the North tower by about 0.4m and shifted 0.2m to the East compared to the North tower. The wall decorations of the two towers have differences in the decorative artifacts of columns, wall pillars and central door pillars; the grooves in the South tower are more elaborate and perfect than the North tower.

“To date, Lieu Coc Twin Towers is the only relic in Vietnam that has two main worshiping towers, usually there are only one or three main worshiping towers. We have done a lot of research on Cham Pa relics in the Central region, but there is no place with two main worshiping towers,” said Mr. Chat.

Along with that, this second excavation collected 9,380 specimens and artifacts, mainly focusing on architectural materials, architectural decorations, stele fragments, glazed ceramics, porcelain, earthenware and bronze metal pieces.

Early solution to preserve Lieu Coc twin towers relic - photo 2 — Pit H1 is located at the North and East of the South Tower.

Urgent solution needed

The archaeological excavation at the national monument of the Lieu Coc Twin Towers was affected by the unusual flood in June. Fortunately, the area of the North and South Towers is located on a mound higher than the road, so the site was not disturbed. However, this is also a long-term risk, because the stormy weather in Hue and the Central region is very harsh.

According to representatives of relevant agencies and researchers present at the archaeological site survey of the Lieu Coc Twin Towers, solutions are needed to ensure the safety of the site after the archaeological excavation. Researcher Nguyen Xuan Hoa said that the Department of Culture and local authorities need to propose an urgent project, otherwise, the flood risk will destroy the achievements that have been excavated and protected over the past time.

In addition, Kim Tra ward also needs to calculate and consider not allowing people to bury and build solid tombs around this relic, so that in the future it can create a local cultural heritage space.

Dr. Phan Tien Dung, Chairman of the Hue City Historical Science Association, said that the excavation team and the Department of Culture, Sports and Tourism, along with related units, need to soon organize the construction of a database for the Lieu Coc Twin Towers relic; at the same time, strengthen propaganda andeducation among local residents and spread to the community and generations of students.

Representative of the local government, Mr. Chau Viet Thanh, Secretary of the Kim Tra Ward Party Committee, said: Previously, when it was still at the district level, Huong Tra town paid great attention to the Lieu Coc twin towers relic, but due to problems and difficulties, only a few exterior renovation items were implemented. "We will widely implement the contents within the ward's authority and will have solutions to avoid solidifying the tombs in the area surrounding the relic," Mr. Thanh affirmed.

Many experts and researchers also expressed their desire to continue to expand the archaeological area of Lieu Coc twin towers to clarify more contents related to the structure of the foundation of the gate tower, the North tower; whether or not there is a gate tower of the South tower; whether or not there is a stele tower and fire tower; whether or not there is a long house architecture, the front hall on the outside; determine the traces of the surrounding wall on the west side; the connection between the internal road system in the relic; decode the location and role of Lieu Coc twin towers with the Champa relic system in the Bo river basin...

Director of the Department of Culture and Information of Hue City Phan Thanh Hai said that the two recent archaeological excavations only accounted for about 6% of the planned area of the Lieu Coc Twin Towers relic site. In the coming time, the Department will coordinate with a number of related units to develop a plan to continue expanding the excavation to clarify the entire structure of the towers, clarifying unclear or doubtful information. At the same time, develop a detailed plan to preserve and promote the value of the relic; in the immediate future, propose to have shelters to ensure safety in the face of harsh natural disaster conditions.

“We will support training for local officials in Kim Tra ward to contribute to the dissemination, promotion and education of heritage to the community. In addition, the Department will also coordinate to understand the values associated with the cultural story of this relic to contribute to building a tourist destination,” Mr. Hai informed.

Source: https://baovanhoa.vn/van-hoa/som-co-giai-phap-bao-ton-di-tich-thap-doi-lieu-coc-150581.html