Foundation and plan structure of Lê Trung hưng -period Kính Thiên Palace in the central area of Thăng Long - Hà Nội Imperial citadel from archaeological discoveries

Abstract

This article is based on historical data and archaeological discoveries from 2011 to 2023 in the central area of Thăng Long Imperial Citadel, from which we initially identify the foundation and plan structure of the Kính Thiên main palace from the Lê period.

According to the bibliographic data, from its construction in 1428 until its destruction in 1816, the Kính Thiên main palace existed in the early Lê, Mạc, Lê Trung hưng periods and the dynasty of the King Nguyễn Gia Long. It was newly built, reconstructed and renamed several times. Since its construction, the Kính Thiên main palace and its area were always the most important political and ceremonial space of the Thăng Long Imperial Citadel in all 4 centuries (the fifteenth - eighteenth centuries).

The archaeological results from 2011 to 2023 demonstrate that the area of the Kính Thiên main palace includes a very solid outer wall that is 1.7m wide, inside which there is a system of corridors, the gate of Đan Trì yard, Ngự Đạo (King’s) road. The Kính Thiên main palace from the Lê Trung hưng period, the seventeenth - eighteenth centuries, consists of 9 compartments with a total area of 1,485m².

This serves as a scientific basis for the research on the Kính Thiên main palace, and promotes the search for positive solutions for finding the whole remain of the Kính Thiên Main Palace; At the same time, it is an important step that contributes to the overall identification of the heritage site with the the Kính Thiên Main Palace as a core.