21st August, 2012.
Pat took a tour of the Old Imperial City of Huế. Here are the pictures he took:
In 1802 Nguyễn Phúc Ánh took control of Vietnam and proclaimed himself Emperor Gia Long. He then conferred with geomancers to decide which was the best place for a new palace and citadel to be built. (Geomancy - one of the seven "forbidden arts” - is a method of divination that interprets markings on the ground or the patterns formed by tossed handfuls of soil, rocks or sand).
After the geomancers had decided on a suitable site in Huế, building began in 1804, and was completed in 1833. Thousands of workers were ordered to produce a wall and moat, 10 km long. Initially the walls were earthen, but later these earthen walls were replaced by stone walls, 2m thick.
Access to the citadel is through one of four gates across the moat.
Just inside the Citadel ramparts are the Nine Holy Cannons (1804), symbolic protectors of the palace and kingdom, Commissioned by Emperor Gia Long, they were never intended to be fired. Each brass cannon is five metres long and weighs about ten tonnes.
The Imperial City is laid out in a pattern of squares and rectangles within squares and rectangles. (The geomancers must have thrown their rocks very neatly.) Even the gardens have to grow in straight lines.
The Ngo Mon (Midday) Gate was constructed in 1833 during the reign of Emperor Minh Mang. The gate leads to the Imperial Palace and was the observation point for the Emperor to review his troops and for ceremonial use.
The Midday Gate is divided into two levels. At ground level, the gate actually has five entrances. The one in the centre is used only by the king. On each side are two entrances used by mandarins, soldiers and horses. On the second level is Lau Ngu Phung - the Five-Phoenix Pavilion. The king reviewed his troops and subjects under the centre hall of the pavilion. The roof of this hall is covered with gold enamelled tiles. The two halls flanking the centre hall were reserved for other members of the court.
Gold enamelled tiles on the roof of the central hall of the Ngo Mon (Midday) Gate.
The Thai Hoa Palace was used for the emperor’s official receptions and important ceremonies.
Gateway to the Thai Hoa Palace.
Approaching the Thai Hoa Palace.
Thai Hoa Palace roof detail.
This giant dragon’s job is to guard the Citadel.
Deep fryer.
Rex told our group that this vessel was used to dunk criminals in boiling oil.
The Can Chanh Dien palace was constructed in 1804 as a main working hall for the emperors and their cabinets during Nguyen dynasty (1802-1945). During the Indochina War (1945-1954), it was destroyed by fire in 1947, with only the foundations and some traces of stonework remaining.
In 1993, the Complex of Hue Monuments was designated a UNESCO World Cultural Heritage site.
In an ambitious project, the Can Chanh Dien Palace is being restored, following old photographs.
The restoration program will receive funding from various sources, including the central and provincial governments, ticket sales, and international organisations.
The citadel was badly bombed in both the French and American wars, and only 20 of the original 148 buildings have survived. Many bullet holes from the war can be observed on the stone walls.
The current restoration program is planned to continue until 2020.
Within the citadel itself is another, smaller, citadel - the Imperial Enclosure or Forbidden Purple City with walls 6m high and 2.5km in length. This functioned largely as a private residence of the emperor, his family and servants.
This is one of the more ornate entrances to the Forbidden Purple City.
The Nine Dynastic Urns were cast in the 1830s. As they represent the reigns of successive Nguyen Emperors, the urns were designed with massive proportions, with each urn weighing between 1.8 to 2.9 tons. Traditional designs representing the reign of each Emperor were chiselled onto each urn.
Here is Pat beside one of them.
Leaving the Forbidden Purple City by the Hien Lam Pavilion Gate.
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