Visitors visit the towers in My Son - Photo: BD
Speaking to Tuoi Tre Online , Mr. Nguyen Van Tho - deputy head of the conservation and museum department of the My Son Temple Complex Management Board - said he is trying to persuade Mr. Nguyen Qua, owner of a handmade brick kiln in Duy Hoa commune (Duy Xuyen district, Quang Nam), to continue his profession and complete procedures to put the kiln back into operation soon to help stabilize the source of materials for the restoration of the My Son sanctuary.
Deadlock in finding brick source to restore My Son Sanctuary
Up to now, to serve the restoration of the towers in My Son, bricks have been taken from two sources: original bricks collected from excavations and bricks taken from a kiln of a household in Duy Hoa commune, Duy Xuyen district.
The My Son restoration project began in 2003. Apart from recreating the original version, the biggest challenge that has given scientists and the host agency a headache is the source of materials.
According to the My Son Temple Management Board, due to the amount of original bricks from the broken towers, the source of recycled bricks is not enough for restoration.
Many domestic and international experts have tried every way to find qualified bricks.
Scientists also took samples of the original bricks, crushed them and analyzed their composition in the laboratory to create similar bricks.
Mr. Qua with the ancient bricks that only he made to serve the restoration of My Son - Photo: NGUYEN VAN THO
But even when made according to the prototype, the new bricks do not guarantee quality.
Scientists invited experienced people around My Son to try making ancient bricks. However, even this did not bring results.
Bricks made by people based on experience have too much clay, lack of heat, and too short firing time. This leads to the bricks being "salted" after being installed on the construction.
The only person who knows how to make ancient bricks
Since 2005, thanks to tips from local people, the My Son Temple Management Board discovered a special person who still kept the formula for making ancient bricks. That person is Mr. Nguyen Qua, who lives in La Thap ceramic area, Duy Hoa commune.
When the experts came to his house and gave him the "assignment", asking Mr. Qua to try making bricks to restore My Son, he did not hesitate.
Not long after, the brick factory owner informed the experts that the most satisfactory batch of bricks had been produced. Holding the smooth, almost perfectly ripe bricks in their hands, the restoration experts could not hide their surprise.
Nguyen Van Tho, Deputy Head of the Conservation Department and Museum of the My Son Temple Management Board, said that the bricks Mr. Qua makes meet basic physical and chemical parameters when compared with ancient bricks in My Son.
The towers at My Son were covered for restoration many years ago - Photo: BD
Therefore, restoration experts decided to take all the bricks from his kiln to restore the structures in the My Son temple complex.
Mr. Qua's bricks were also brought to Gia Lai and Binh Thuan to restore ancient Cham structures, and were even purchased and brought to Laos for the restoration project of the ancient Wat Phou temple.
"Mr. Qua's workshop seems to be the only known manual brick production facility for the restoration of Champa monuments to date.
The brick source from here has been used for restoration for nearly 20 years. The manual production method needs to be maintained because it is probably the method that is closest to the brick production technique of the ancient Champa people," said Mr. Tho.
Ancient brick kiln temporarily closed, experts confused
In recent days, the news that the only brick kiln supplying materials for the restoration of My Son temple complex owned by Mr. Nguyen Qua had to stop operating because it is located in a residential area has made experts worried.
Mr. Nguyen Cong Khiet - Director of the My Son Temple Complex Management Board - said that although he has not yet considered how Mr. Qua's brick kiln closure will affect the restoration progress of the towers, this is still a matter of great concern to this unit.
A row of towers in the My Son complex - Photo: BD
Speaking to Tuoi Tre Online , Mr. Nguyen Qua said that because his brick kiln is fired manually, it affects the environment of the residential area. The government has requested a temporary suspension of operations, and he is looking for a way to move to another location. However, this is not easy.
Mr. Nguyen Van Tho said that only Mr. Qua can create bricks that meet the standards for the restoration of My Son.
Even if the facility is moved to another location, or bricks are sent to another kiln to be fired, it is not certain that the same type of bricks will be produced as before.
Source: https://tuoitre.vn/mot-nguoi-dan-doc-quyen-lam-ra-loai-gach-co-trung-tu-thanh-dia-my-son-20240626165627296.htm
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