The Kính Thiên Palace, the most powerful center of Thang Long Imperial Citadel, continues to unravel its secrets.

Restoring the Kính Thiên Palace, which disappeared amidst the vicissitudes of history, is absolutely essential for future generations to better understand the architecture and art of the ancient royal court; and to promote tourism development, especially now that Thăng Long Imperial Citadel has been inscribed by UNESCO as a World Cultural Heritage site.

Dragon Terrace - the path leading up to the Kính Thiên Palace in the ancient Thăng Long Imperial Citadel.

Based on archaeological discoveries, combined with various other sources, scientists are gradually rediscovering the glorious past.

Finding ways to restore the Kính Thiên Palace.

Thang Long Imperial Citadel ( Hanoi ) is honored to be recognized by UNESCO as a World Cultural Heritage site based on three criteria: its cultural and historical depth spanning 13 centuries; the continuity of a center of power; and its rich and diverse layers of relics and artifacts.

However, many visitors to Thang Long Imperial Citadel have mixed feelings. The most valuable things are the ruins buried deep underground. Unless you are a specialist, it is very difficult to appreciate their value.

Associate Professor Dang Van Bai, Vice Chairman of the National Council for Cultural Heritage, shared: "Every time we visit Thang Long Imperial Citadel, if we only look at the archaeological artifacts, young children cannot imagine the beauty of the ancient royal court. Throughout the Ly, Tran, Le, Mac, and Le Trung Hung dynasties, Thang Long Imperial Citadel was the supreme center of power for the entire country."

In that sacred land, the most representative structure was the place where the emperor held court with hundreds of officials, discussed national affairs, and promulgated policies concerning the people. During the Ly dynasty, it was the Can Nguyen Palace; during the Tran dynasty, it was the Thien An Palace; and during the Le dynasty, it was the Kinh Thien Palace. The location of the Kinh Thien Palace remained unchanged from the early Le, Mac, and later Le dynasties, situated on the sacred axis of the Thang Long Imperial Citadel.

Later, when the Nguyen dynasty moved the capital to Hue, the Kinh Thien Palace became merely a royal residence during the king's northern tours. When the French occupied Hanoi, the palace was completely demolished; only the foundation, nine dragon-shaped steps, and a pair of stone dragons erected during the reign of King Le Thanh Tong remain.

The royal court not only represented the center of power, but also showcased the typical architectural forms, construction techniques, and artistic decoration of the country. Restoring such a structure is necessary and also consistent with Vietnam's commitment to UNESCO regarding the preservation and promotion of the value of this World Cultural Heritage site.

However, how to reconstruct it is a question that is troubling scientists. Did the ancient palace roof use curved tiles or fish-scale tiles like those found in temples and pagodas, or a different type of tile? What was the supporting system for that roof? What was the column and beam system like?... These are all questions that remain unanswered.

In 2017, for the first time, during archaeological excavations in Thang Long Imperial Citadel, a large number of "dragon tiles" were found. These were glazed tiles in gold (huang lu li) and blue (qing lu li) colors, decorated with dragon motifs, dating back to the Le Dynasty.

At that moment, Associate Professor Tong Trung Tin, Head of the archaeological site, happily emphasized: "The glazed yellow tiles were originally reserved only for the emperor's buildings. With the large number of artifacts related to the palace roof, we can clearly visualize the palace roofs of this period."

The roof tiles of the palace during the Le Dynasty were of the tubular tile style. All the rows of tiles were decorated to form a dragon in a sculpted form. The first tile at the eaves was decorated with a dragon's head, and the subsequent tiles formed the dragon's body, complete with scales and pointed dorsal fins.

The last tile on the gable roof is the dragon's tail. The entire palace roof resembles a large, bustling dragon, moving from the roof down to the courtyard on all four sides. This is a unique roof architecture not seen in East Asia.”

The next question is, what was the supporting structure for that roof system? At Thang Long Imperial Citadel, researchers have found about 70 wooden components from the early Le Dynasty. Dr. Bui Minh Tri added: “Early Le Dynasty pottery features many vivid depictions of bracketed roof structures with multiple roof layers. Excavations around the Kinh Thien Palace area have also uncovered quite a few wooden components, including columns, beams, and floorboards, some of which were part of the bracketed roof structure.”

In particular, the 2021 excavation east of the Kính Thiên Palace uncovered a very distinctive green glazed architectural model. This model realistically depicts the roof of the building, covered with tubular tiles, and the frame of the building, a bracket system similar to the architecture of the rear hall of Bối Khê Pagoda (Thanh Oai, Hanoi).

Archaeological artifacts at the Imperial Citadel reveal that many components of the roof system were painted red and gilded. To apply the red lacquer, artisans applied a white primer, then a dark red one, before covering it with a bright red layer. The gilding was even more elaborate; the first two layers were similar to the red lacquer, the third layer was a yellow primer made of mineral stone, and the final layer was gilded with thin sheets of real gold leaf.

By piecing together that data, one can see a magnificent golden roof system, especially when the sun shines on the layers of glazed yellow and blue tiles, making the palace even more radiant.

Continue unraveling the mystery.

Around the world, especially in countries with similar cultures to Vietnam such as South Korea and Japan, the restoration of palaces is quite common. The ancient capital of Nara, once a ruin with no structures visible above ground, has had many palaces rebuilt.

Gyeongbokgung Palace in South Korea also suffered significant damage during the war, with many new structures being rebuilt in the 1990s. Today, they are all cultural symbols and top tourist attractions in Japan and South Korea.

These are suggestions regarding the potential and significance of restoring the Kính Thiên Palace, as well as other structures in the center of the Thăng Long Imperial Citadel.

However, the restoration still faces many difficulties and challenges. Scientists have not yet found a complete foundation plan of a palace from the early Le Dynasty around the Kinh Thien Palace, leading to difficulties in deciphering the bay spacing, number of columns, and other structures. However, based on clues from excavations in the area behind Kinh Thien Palace, Associate Professor Tong Trung Tin has initially presented a drawing of the architectural plan of Kinh Thien Palace with a "Công" shaped plan (I), the front and back palaces are equal and both have seven bays and two wings, the interior of the palace has 10 rows of wooden columns, each row with six columns.

This is a large-scale wooden structure unprecedented in our country. Its floor plan resembles that of the Lam Kinh Main Palace (Thanh Hoa). Given the limited availability of historical documents, the scale of the Lam Kinh Main Palace could be a useful clue.

Dr. Bui Minh Tri stated: “Lam Kinh consists of a mausoleum complex, a temple complex, and a palace to serve the Le dynasty kings when they came to pay respects to their ancestors. Based on historical documents and the excavation results of the Vietnam National History Museum, we can find many important clues for studying the Kinh Thien Palace. Studying the floor plan of the main hall of Lam Kinh, we found that the bay layout of the Kinh Thien Palace is quite similar to that of the main hall of Lam Kinh. From this source material and based on the remaining traces of the stone steps carved with dragons at the Kinh Thien Palace, we attempted to deduce and create a 3D model of the Kinh Thien Palace architecture.”

Associate Professor Tong Trung Tin has been involved in the archaeology of Thang Long Imperial Citadel for decades. He believes that tens of thousands more square meters must be excavated to unravel the mystery.

However, with new archaeological discoveries and interdisciplinary research, the appearance of Kinh Thien Palace is gradually taking shape. Restoring Kinh Thien Palace is not only the aspiration of scientists, but also the wish of the people.

Many researchers believe that archaeological excavations in the coming years should focus on the foundation area of the Kính Thiên Palace, instead of excavating a different area each year as is currently the case.

Associate Professor Dang Van Bai, Vice Chairman of the National Council for Cultural Heritage, shared: “We need to understand that reconstruction based on scientific evidence does not mean it must be 100% identical to the original. We already have many documents and archaeological evidence. We need to continue excavations in parallel with restoration using drawings and 3D technology to gather interdisciplinary opinions and move towards reconstruction.”

Source: https://danviet.vn/dien-kinh-thien-trung-tam-quyen-luc-nhat-cua-hoang-thanh-thang-long-tiep-tuc-giai-ma-bi-mat-20230407234113404.htm