|
Gia Long Tomb (1814-20) other
sites in Hue |
Hue, Vietnam |
Click on an image to enlarge
The tomb of Emperor Gia Long is the southernmost of the Nguyen dynasty tombs and the furthest away from the center of Hue. Because of its relative distance, it is one of the least visited. It is also one of the most neglected--Gia Long is detested by the present regime for his despotism and indifference to the common people (one guidebook remarks that Gia Long "carried home the snake that killed the chicken", referring to the foothold the French gained in Vietnam during his reign).
As the first Emperor of the Nguyen dynasty, Gia Long's choice of burial sites established the architectural pattern that his successors adopted for their own tombs. The tomb of Gia Long and his primary wife are enclosed within a walled quadrangle, which is approached from a series of terraces that slope down toward a ceremonial courtyard flanked with the stone statues of animals and government officials. Just to the south of the courtyard is a lake. On the opposite shore are two huge, ruined obelisks that jut into the sky. To the west of this ensemble is an ancestral temple in remarkably well-preserved condition. To the east of the tomb is a ruined stele pavilion housing an epitaph in stone of Gia Long's reign, composed by his son Minh Mang (who would later rule as Emperor).
Scattered in the surrounding landscape are smaller tombs and temples dedicated to others in Gia Long's life, such as his second wife.
For GPS users -- the author's device pegged the mausoleum of Gia Long (image 22) at 16 degrees, 21.71811 minutes north, 107 degrees 35.81145 minutes east (WGS84 map datum).
Bibliography:
All images copyright 2005 Tim Ciccone. Photographed in late November, 2005.
Bezacier, L. Relevés de
Monuments Anciens Du Nord Viet-Nam
Paris: Ecole Francaise D'extreme
Orient. 1958.
Buckley, Michael. Moon
Travel Guides: Vietnam Cambodia and Laos Handbook, 2nd Edition
China: Moon Publications, Inc. 1997
Cohen, Barbara. The
Vietnam Guidebook
New York: Harper and Row Publishers,
Inc. 1990.
Florence, Mason & Storey,
Robert. Lonely Planet: Vietnam
Melbourne: Lonely Planet
Publications. 1999
Nguyen, Ba Dang. Traditional
Vietnamese Architecture
Hanoi: Gioi Publishers, 2004
West, Helen. Insight
Guides: Vietnam
Singapore: APA Publications (HK) Ltd.
1991