Excavation of the L tower group at My Son tower temple, discovered architectural remains from the 13th century

Trần Thi |

Da Nang - The excavation of the L tower group at My Son Tower Temple Area revealed many architectural details dating back to the late period and traces of damage caused by war.

On August 5, Mr. Nguyen Cong Khiet - Director of the My Son World Cultural Heritage Management Board, Department of Culture, Sports and Tourism of Da Nang - said that the unit has coordinated with the Institute of Monuments Conservation, the Institute of Archaeology and the C.M. Fund. Lerici (Italy) announced the preliminary results of the excavation of the L Tower Group at My Son Tower Temple Area.

The excavation was carried out from May 9 to July 30, 2025 with an area of 150m2. The excavation was chaired by Dr. Nguyen Ngoc Quy (Institute of Archaeology). This is the second excavation in Group L, after the first in 2019.

This excavation aims to expand the survey area to the eastern hillside, clarify the brick wall structure surrounding the L1 and L2 architecture, study the shape of the tiled roof and related pottery artifacts, and at the same time remove the collapsed parts and complete the drawings to serve the project of preserving and renovating the L architectural group.

According to Mr. Khiet, group L is located about 75m south of group B-C-D, on a small hilltop - a high location strategically for observation and creating outstanding landscapes.

Since the early 20th century, this location has been recognized by Henri Parmentier (French Long-Autumn Festival) as a long, tiled room-shaped architecture with two opposite doors.

The 2019 excavation of the C.M. Fund. Lerici discovered the western foundation (L2), next to the previously known L1 architecture. Both are located on the East-West axis, surrounded by walls.

During the 2 months of excavation, the collapsed layers inside and around L1 were systematically peeled off, helping to reveal the architecture, study the order of collapse and changes over time.

Many pieces of pottery and tiles were found on the foundation and walkway around L1. Traces show that the wooden roof covered with tiles collapsed early, the rear wall collapsed, mainly due to bombs and bullets during the war.

Preliminary research results show that L architecture dates back to the late 13th century - early 14th century). The brick structures still need to be reinforced, protected, intact and sustainable to serve the promotion of heritage values in the future.

The results of the excavation and new discoveries in Group L have contributed to identifying the value of late architectural works at My Son heritage, expanding the architectural space of the tower and creating more sightseeing and research points for the community, said Mr. Nguyen Cong Khiet.

Trần Thi
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