That is the opinion of many domestic and international experts and scientists at the international scientific conference "Consultation on outstanding global values and criteria for nominating world heritage for Oc Eo - Ba The archaeological site" recently organized by the People's Committee of An Giang province in coordination with relevant units. Deputy Minister of Culture, Sports and Tourism Hoang Dao Cuong attended and gave a speech.
Meet multiple criteria
Representative of the consulting group for the dossier, Dr. Truong Dac Chien said that, based on the criteria for outstanding global value of world heritage, the Oc Eo - Ba The archaeological site can meet criterion (ii): Demonstrating an important intersection of human values, over a period or within a cultural area of the world, in terms of developments in architecture, or technology, the art of building temples, urban planning or landscape design. At the same time, it meets criterion (iii): Containing a unique or at least very different evidence of a cultural tradition or a civilization that is still existing or has disappeared.
In addition, the site also meets criterion (v): An outstanding example of a traditional human settlement, land use or sea exploitation, representing a culture(s), or of human interaction with the environment, especially where it has become vulnerable to the effects of irreversible change.
In terms of outstanding global value, the Oc Eo - Ba The archaeological site demonstrates authenticity and integrity, preserving a complex of relics, artifacts and cultural and natural landscapes of special value, truly reflecting the material and spiritual life of ancient residents in the lower Mekong River region for nearly a millennium.
The canal system, residential mounds, religious architecture, and thousands of ceramic, stone, metal, and glass artifacts discovered allow for a relatively complete reconstruction of the daily life, production, social organization, religion, beliefs, as well as international trade relations of the ancient Oc Eo community. The special and unique nature of the relic site clearly demonstrates that this is an outstanding testament to the cultural exchange between the East and the West in the context of ancient globalization.
During the first centuries AD, when international trade routes connected China, India, the Middle East and the Mediterranean through Southeast Asia, Oc Eo developed into a production, trade and religious center with an inter-regional and inter-continental role. This complex of relics represents a typical model of an ancient port city with many outstanding characteristics, Dr. Chien emphasized.
From the above analysis, the consulting team built a proposal that it is necessary to add some more locations and present them according to each type of relic to better see the complex nature as well as the stages of development of the most important archaeological relic in the lower Mekong River region. Thereby, strengthening the argument for establishing the outstanding global value of the heritage to demonstrate the uniqueness and influence of the relic beyond the national scope.
At the same time, it is necessary to promptly adjust, expand the zoning and inter-regional demarcation, ensuring coverage of all core components of the heritage on the ground. This is a key requirement to meet UNESCO's criteria for integrity, as well as to build a quality nomination dossier with a full legal foundation.
According to Dr. Brigitte Borell (University of Heidelberg, Germany), with its strategic location between the East Sea and the Gulf of Thailand, Oc Eo was conveniently involved in maritime routes extending to the Bay of Bengal and the Indian Ocean to the west. Hopefully, further excavations will provide more archaeological evidence, contributing to enriching and completing the picture of the multi-dimensional and widespread trade relations in the region.
Full of world heritage potential
Associate Professor, Dr. Dang Van Bai, Vice Chairman of the National Council for Cultural Heritage, said that cultural heritage is not only what remains from the past, it is also the source of identity formation, a bridge for dialogue between civilizations. In that journey, the Oc Eo - Ba The archaeological site stands out as an important "intersection" between the historical, economic and cultural flows of the region.
Therefore, this relic site has great potential to become a world heritage. It is representative of the ancient port of Southeast Asia, a testament to the East-West exchange and a clear mark of a delta civilization with outstanding adaptability and creativity.
Sharing the same opinion, Dr. Nguyen Thi Hau, University of Social Sciences and Humanities (Ho Chi Minh City National University) said that the central area of Oc Eo - Ba The is one of the important ports and a major religious center, demonstrated by dozens of architectural relics and a large number of types of artifacts of various materials. This is an important scientific basis for developing a nomination dossier.
Professor Himanshu Prabha Ray (Jawaharlal Nehru University, India) said that when recognized as a world heritage site, the Oc Eo - Ba The Archaeological Site will bring hope to other countries around the Indian Ocean in identifying and preserving coastal centers that have made great contributions to promoting human values beyond ocean boundaries.
Unifying and identifying global outstanding values
At the workshop, Deputy Minister Hoang Dao Cuong said that, implementing the Government's direction, the People's Committee of An Giang province has been closely coordinating with the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism to develop a dossier on the Oc Eo - Ba The archaeological site to submit to UNESCO for consideration and inclusion in the list of World Cultural Heritage.
To meet UNESCO's criteria for world cultural heritages in the process of building the dossier, Deputy Minister Hoang Dao Cuong emphasized that it is necessary to identify and unify the core elements that make up the outstanding global value of the relic site.
Accordingly, focus on fully evaluating existing documents, supplementing and updating new research results on the scope, expected boundaries, types of nominated heritage sites, plans and next roadmap to serve as a scientific basis for the development of nomination dossiers. Create a solid foundation for preserving and promoting values associated with sustainable tourism development in the locality.
According to the Deputy Minister, the Oc Eo - Ba The archaeological site is a large-scale complex of religious and belief architectural relics, where the most unique archaeological relics in the South are concentrated; contributing to sketching the appearance of a large religious center and the very unique cultural life of the ancient urban residents of Oc Eo in history.
Vice Chairman of An Giang Provincial People's Committee Le Trung Ho said that the archaeological discoveries at the Oc Eo - Ba The archaeological site not only clarify the presence of an ancient nation but also confirm that this place was once a bustling international trading center, connecting Southeast Asia with India, China and the Mediterranean.
With its profound historical, archaeological, cultural and international exchange values, the Oc Eo - Ba The archaeological site is not only the pride of the people of An Giang but also a valuable part of the heritage of the Vietnamese people and humanity. Therefore, An Giang commits to closely coordinate with professional agencies, international organizations, scientists, etc. to build a solid, authentic and convincing scientific dossier to bring the site closer to the title of world cultural heritage, contributing to the treasure of cultural heritage of humanity.
Source: https://baovanhoa.vn/van-hoa/hoi-tu-nhung-gia-tri-noi-bat-de-tro-thanh-di-san-the-gioi-158152.html
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