Ngo Mon Gate by junge1

Photography • Historical • posted on May 24, 2014

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Description

The Ngo Mon Gate (Noon-time Gate) which faces the Flag Tower is the principal gate to the Imperial Enclosure.. The central passageway with its yellow doors was reserved for use by the emperor, as was the bridge across the lotus pond. Everyone else had to use the gates to either side and the paths around the lotus pond. On top of the gate is Ngu Phung (the Belvedere of the Five Phoenixes), where the emperor appeared on important occasions. The middle section of the roof is covered with yellow tiles; the roofs on either side are green. The emperor's official functions were carried out in the Imperial Enclosure (Dai Noi, or Hoang Thanh), a citadel-within-a-citadel whose six-meter-high wall is 2.5 km in length. The Imperial Enclosure has four gates, the most famous of which is Ngo Mon Gate. Within the Imperial Enclosure is the Forbidden Purple City (Tu Cam Thanh), which was reserved for the private life of the emperor. The Forbidden Purple City was almost entirely destroyed during the Tet Offensive. The Imperial Enclosure itself is located within the 'Citadel'. The construction of the moated Citadel (Kinh Thanh), whose perimeter is 10 km, was begun in 1804 by Emperor Gia Long, on a site chosen by a geomancer. The Citadel was originally made of earth, but during the first few decades of the 19th century, tens of thousands of workers labored to cover the ramparts, built in the style of the French military architect Vauban, with a layer of bricks two meters thick. Three sides of the Citadel are straight; the fourth is rounded slightly to follow the curve of the river. The ramparts are encircled by a zigzag moat 30 meters across and about four meters deep. Emperor Bao Dai ended the Nguyen Dynasty here on 30 August 1945, when he abdicated to a delegation sent by Ho Chin Minh's Provisional Revolutionary Government (Sources: Lonely Planet; Vietnam,1995; Local tour Guide). This picture was taken on 25 August 2012, Sig...

Comments (22)

barryjeffer

6:31PM | Sat, 24 May 2014

Amazingly Beautiful scenery... wonderful shot.

Richardphotos

6:57PM | Sat, 24 May 2014

whether they are called kings,queens, or simply politicians they always try and make their selves into gods very interesting architecture and capture

bazza

7:17PM | Sat, 24 May 2014

Great capture of this place Sig. It looks like they are still working on it with all the scaffolding around the place.

flavia49

7:57PM | Sat, 24 May 2014

wonderful image

Faemike55

8:46PM | Sat, 24 May 2014

Impressive structure Great capture and cool information

soffy

10:42PM | Sat, 24 May 2014

Wonderful shot of this impressive architecture*******

jocko500

10:43PM | Sat, 24 May 2014

wonderful history and shot

auntietk

11:53PM | Sat, 24 May 2014

A fabulous place with loads of history. I thought the building was interesting and beautiful before I read your caption, but having the additional information made it even more so. Nicely done! Good talking to you this evening. :)

bmac62

11:56PM | Sat, 24 May 2014

I've never seen this place but I've heard a lot about The Citadel in Hue and how rough the fighting was there during the Tet Offensive. Good photo Sig and excellent info.