Exhibition on the mystery of Kinh Thien Palace’s architecture

Kinh Thien was the most important palace in the Thang Long Imperial Citadel, where the court held its most solemn rituals, welcomed foreign emissaries, and discussed affairs of state. The palace was destroyed in 1886, with only the foundations and a staircase remaining today. An exhibition decoding the mystery of Kinh Thien Palace’s architecture is now underway at the Hanoi Museum.

The exhibition introduces 22 unique artifacts related to the architecture of the Thang Long Imperial Citadel, discovered during many years of research by the Imperial City Research Institute under the Vietnam Academy of Social Sciences, with support from Chinese, Japanese, and South Korean architectural experts.

Based on this research and comparisons of techniques and architectural styles, researchers have created a 3D model of Kinh Thien Palace. It was the most important building in the Thang Long Imperial Citadel, which was recognised by UNESCO as a World Heritage Site in 2000.

Construction of Kinh Thien Palace began in 1428 during the reign of Emperor Le Thai To (who reigned from 1428-1433) and was completed during the reign of Emperor Le Thanh Tong (who reigned from 1460-1497).

The restoration of the Palace aims to decode the mysteries of its architecture, thereby clarifying the scientific value of the archaeological discoveries.

Experts say this is only the result of initial research and there remain many issues that need to be further researched, but the image of Kinh Thien Palace’s restoration helps people visualise the unique beauty of the architecture from the Le Dynasty./.

VNA