Sa Huynh civilisation relic site seeks UNESCO recognition

The central province of Quang Ngai is building dossiers to seek UNESCO’s recognition of Sa Huynh civilisation relic site as a world heritage.

In December 2022, the site was recognised as a special national relic by the Prime Minister.

It consists of six locations, namely Thanh Duc, Long Thanh, Phu Khuong, Champa cultural relic complex, An Khe swamp, and An Khe dam on Cua Lo river. The protected area includes Zone I and Zone II, covering an area of over 500ha.

The site in the dossiers to be submitted to UNESCO will cover additional four areas, namely Sa Huynh (sea gate), Ly Son (island), Binh Son (ancient ship graveyard), and Son Ha (mountain valley) which possess exceptional global significance from historical, aesthetic, ethnological, or anthropological perspectives, contributing to the diverse ecological and cultural landscape of Sa Huynh inhabitants.

In 1909, French archaeologist M. Vinet discovered antiquities of the Sa Huynh civilisation. These ancient artifacts first appeared about 3,000 years ago and ended in the first century AD. Through different excavations, archaeologists continually found traces of a civilisation, including about 500 burial jars containing many accompaniments, across the coastal central, southeastern, and Central Highlands regions.

Among those localities, Quang Ngai is considered the cradle of the Sa Huynh civilisation as it is home to 26 relic sites among the over 80 ones discovered and excavated.