Discovery of "treasure" after 12 centuries in a coastal commune of Thua Thien Hue recognized as world record

Phu Dien Tower has just been recognized by the World Records Union (WorldKings) as "The first ancient brick Cham tower sunk deep under coastal sand dunes, excavated and preserved in the world".

Not only a cultural destination, the ancient tower next to Phu Dien beach, Phu Vang district (Thua Thien Hue province) also attracts tourists.

Recently, within the framework of Hue Festival Week 2022, Thua Thien - Hue province held a ceremony to announce the decision to establish a world record for Phu Dien Cham tower, Phu Vang district. This relic was discovered by chance and in a very special way - when it was 120 meters from the sea's edge.

"Treasure" revealed after 12 centuries

According to research by archaeologists, Phu Dien tower belongs to the group of dwarf towers in Cham Pa architecture. This is the initial group of towers of Cham Pa religious architecture before switching to sustainable material architecture. The tower dates back to around the 8th century, the earliest in the history of Cham tower architecture today. At the same time, it is also the oldest structure among the Cham towers still existing along the Central strip of land. Archaeological documents show that on the morning of April 18, 2001, on the coast of Phu Dien commune (Phu Vang district, Thua Thien - Hue province), a group of titanium miners accidentally discovered a block of brick buried deep under the sand. Minister of Culture - Information (now the Ministry of Culture - Sports and Tourism) Nguyen Khoa Diem then requested the authorities to block off the area to protect the original state and discuss the optimal excavation method. According to measurements, the ancient tower is located 5 to 7 meters deep in the sand, 3 to 4 meters below sea level and 120 meters from the sea edge. Nearly 5 months later, the excavation was conducted from September 5 to 23, 2001. After being completely exposed, the overall view of this brick block is a rectangular architectural block. The higher it goes, the smaller it becomes with different components such as the tower foundation, the tower base, the tower body and the tower roof edge... Under the tower foundation is a layer of gravel as the foundation. After the discovery, the People's Committee of Thua Thien - Hue province directed the local cultural sector to coordinate with relevant units to deploy protection work and conduct a thorough survey and exploration of this site. Researchers have identified this as a Cham tower, with architecture belonging to the Champa culture with scientific and historical value. The presence of stone Yoni artifacts, ceramic vases, etc. inside Phu Dien tower are typical artifacts of the worship of the Cham people.

Phu Dien ancient Cham tower has just set a world record.

World class value

Phu Dien Cham Tower has appeared on the Hue tourism map, famous for its unique destination. From material value to spiritual value, from architectural works to spiritual culture, Phu Dien Tower has the potential to be exploited to serve cultural and tourism activities - especially within the framework of Hue Festival Week 2022.

Archaeological excavation results show that Phu Dien tower is rectangular in shape. From the outside, the tower has 1 altar and 4 doors. The main door faces the East Sea, the door facing East has collapsed on one side. The remaining 3 fake doors have the same size and design. According to Mr. Nguyen Duc Loc - Director of Thua Thien - Hue History Museum: The base of the tower is 8.22 meters long, 7.12 meters wide, gradually getting smaller as it goes higher. The height of the tower ranges from 3.1 to 3.26 meters, due to the result of subsidence and tilting. The base of the tower is rectangular with corners cut, 0.29 meters high with four layers of bricks. The base of the tower is 1.25 meters high, the body of the tower is 1.36 meters high. The inside of the tower is 3.9 meters long, 3.3 meters wide, in the middle is a 0.73 meter high altar, on the pedestal is a sandstone yoni. In front of the main door of the tower, there is a square brick altar 1.4 meters high, with a round hole in the middle with a diameter of a hand span. According to scientists, this could be the place where the worship statue was placed. Despite the long time, Phu Dien tower still has a pinkish red brick color and is porous. According to research, the bricks are made of clay and fired at low temperatures below 800 - 900 degrees Celsius. The tower was built using the grinding technique combined with the sap of the oleander tree and water to create adhesion. At the excavation site, scientists also discovered some offerings. Compared to other Cham towers, the motifs of Phu Dien tower are more stylized and primitive, leading to the conjecture that this could be a very early tower. The results of the subsequent radiocarbon dating showed that the tower was built in the early 8th century, during the transition period between the ancient My Son E1 architectural style and the Hoa Lai tower architectural style. This is the land of Champa and became Dai Viet land in the event that Champa king Che Man offered Chau O and Chau Ri as a dowry to propose to Princess Huyen Tran. After completing the survey and research procedures, in December 2001, the Ministry of Culture and Information decided to rank Phu Dien tower as a national relic. In October 2005, the tower was restored and completed in May 2007, with a budget of nearly 4 billion VND. Currently, Phu Dien tower is being preserved in a greenhouse to limit the impact of the natural environment. Looking directly, the tower's lines have been greatly deformed due to time and the impact of nature after 12 centuries. However, one can still see the sophistication and talent of the architectural lines and shapes. Up to now, Phu Dien ancient tower has been accidentally discovered by a group of workers, preserved for more than 20 years and officially registered as a world record./. Source