Strongly promote the heritage value of the rock formations.

The Marble Mountains (Ngũ Hành Sơn) have long been known as a "top-tier scenic spot" with their unique and harmonious beauty, a blend of natural ecosystems and spiritual and cultural life. Research and preservation of the rock inscriptions at this site will help locals and tourists discover many unique cultural values ​​still hidden within.

Documents on the Marble Cliffs of Ngu Hanh Son Mountain were displayed at the 2025 Ngu Hanh Son Vu Lan Festival, attracting much interest from young people. Photo: DOAN HAO LUONG

"The 'picture with calligraphy' holds significant cultural and historical value."

Historically, the Marble Mountains (Ngũ Hành Sơn) was one of the major Buddhist centers of Đại Việt during the nation's southward expansion, with the formation of famous national temples such as Tam Thai and Linh Ứng, and bearing the footprints of many virtuous and eminent monks over the centuries. Therefore, the influence and presence of Buddhism in the rock inscriptions at the Marble Mountains are very evident.

On the other hand, these documentary heritage sites have become valuable historical sources about Buddhism in the Quang Nam - Da Nang region in particular and Vietnam in general. Given this immense value, on November 26, 2022, at the 9th Plenary Session of the Asia-Pacific Regional Committee of the Memory of the World Programme (MOWCAP) in Andong City, South Korea, the "Ma Nhai Stele at Ngu Hanh Son Scenic Area" was officially recognized as a Documentary Heritage site under the Asia-Pacific Regional Committee of the Memory of the World Programme.

According to Dr. Nguyen Hoang Than from the University of Education ( Da Nang University), the system of inscriptions on the cliffs of Ngu Hanh Son, also known as rock carvings, was formed during the time of the Nguyen lords and the Nguyen dynasty, along with some texts dating from the first half of the 20th century, and has existed for nearly four centuries.

“Currently, there are nearly 80 rock inscription texts, distributed throughout the Marble Mountains area, including Hoa Nghiem Cave, Huyen Khong Cave, Tang Chon Cave, Van Thong Cave, Linh Nham Cave… Among them, the rock inscriptions are mainly concentrated on the cliffs of Huyen Khong Cave, accounting for nearly half of the total number of rock inscriptions in the Marble Mountains. Considering only the number of rock inscription texts at a single site in Vietnam, the Marble Mountains have the highest number of inscription texts,” shared Dr. Nguyen Hoang Than.

The texts inscribed on the Marble Mountains of Ngu Hanh Son are diverse in genre and rich in content, including imperial texts, inscriptions, poems, names, memorial tablets, couplets, etc. The genres and forms of the texts are also diverse, including texts written purely in Chinese characters, purely in Nom characters, or a combination of both Chinese and Nom characters; in the Kai (Chân) script, Xing (Cao) script, and combinations of these styles, such as Zhen-Xing and Xing-Cao scripts. These, along with varying font sizes, create a visually stunning calligraphic "picture."

Researcher Vo Van Thang, from the Da Nang City Historical Science Association, believes that along with remarkable geological features illustrating the land formation process over millions of years, the Ngu Hanh Son mountain range also preserves many cultural relics from the time of human habitation in the last few thousand years.

Inside the Marble Mountains caves are artifacts crafted from sandstone in the Champa artistic style, including carved stone blocks similar to the altar blocks at the Dong Duong site (9th-10th centuries). These are traces of the religious activities of the Champa people, using natural caves as places of worship.

Preserving and revitalizing heritage.

Like other cultural heritage sites, documentary heritage is highly sensitive to the impacts of natural and social factors. Particularly in our country, the tropical monsoon climate, with its frequent natural disasters, has greatly affected the conservation and preservation of this rare and valuable Ma Nhai documentary heritage.

Cham sculptures at the entrance to Cham Cave and Tang Chon Cave in the Marble Mountains scenic area. Photo: DOAN HAO LUONG

Currently, some rock carvings have faded and their contents are unclear due to natural weathering; some have had their inscriptions chiseled away, covered with cement, or written or drawn over due to human negligence. Therefore, the inventory, identification, and protection of rock carvings as a documentary heritage is of paramount importance.

According to Mr. Nguyen Van Hien, Deputy Director of the Public Service Supply Center of Ngu Hanh Son Ward, compared to other tourist destinations nationwide, the system of rock formations in Ngu Hanh Son is relatively extensive and is being very well utilized.

“Currently, the Marble Mountains scenic area has many rock formations over 400 years old. In particular, most of these rock formations are located in the open air within caves and are exposed to humidity, so they need to be strictly preserved with the support of specialized agencies. To enhance the value and promote the documentary heritage of the rock formations, the leaders of the Marble Mountains People's Committee have directed the development of a specialized project on promoting the value of rock formations after their recognition and assigned the Department of Culture and Social Affairs to prepare the project for submission to the competent authority for consideration. Once the project is approved, the rock formation heritage will be more widely promoted, attracting more domestic and international tourists to learn about it,” Mr. Nguyen Van Hien emphasized.

In particular, the preservation and promotion of the value of Ngu Hanh Son is facilitated by the issuance of Decision No. 822/QD-TTg by the Prime Minister on July 11, 2023, approving the Plan for the preservation, restoration, and rehabilitation of the Ngu Hanh Son National Special Scenic Area. This is an important legal basis for the city government and local authorities to implement specific measures to preserve and promote the values ​​of the Ngu Hanh Son scenic area.

Earlier this year, the Da Nang City People's Committee also issued a directive on preparing a dossier to propose the recognition of the Marble Mountains (Ngu Hanh Son) as a World Cultural Heritage site. The dossier preparation process will provide an opportunity for researchers and administrators to share knowledge and experience in heritage preservation; thereby bringing about positive impacts and contributing to the preservation of the Marble Mountains, a mixed and multi-valued heritage site, including the Ma Nhai (rock) document.

Source: https://baodanang.vn/phat-huy-manh-me-gia-tri-di-san-ma-nhai-3301313.html