Promoting value of ‘Ma Nhai’ at Marble Mountains
DNO - In addition to its natural landscape in harmony with the spiritual and cultural life, Da Nang’s Marble Mountains are home to a unique ‘Ma Nhai’ (inscriptions) system.
On November 26, 2022, at the 9th general meeting of the Memory of the World Committee for Asia and the Pacific (MOWCAP) in South Korea, ‘Ma Nhai’ (Inscriptions) at the Marble Mountains were officially recognized as part of a regional documentary heritage.
These inscriptions were created during the Nguyen Lords and Nguyen Dynasty periods and extended into the early 20th century.
Currently, nearly 80 ‘Ma Nhai’ steles are distributed in Hoa Nghiem, Huyen Khong, Tang Chon, Van Thong and Linh Nham caves, with almost half located in the Huyen Khong Cave. With this number, the Marble Mountains has the largest collection of ‘Ma Nhai’ in Vietnam.
‘Ma Nhai’ are rich in genre and form, from royal calligraphy, steles, poems and parallel sentences. Written in Han, Nom, or a combination of both scripts, these inscriptions use many fonts such as Khai, Hanh and Thao, creating a vibrant “calligraphic painting” rich in artistic value.
However, like many other heritages, ‘Ma Nhai’ are facing the risk of deterioration due to the harsh tropical climate and frequent natural disasters.
Many carvings have faded through weathering, while others have been defaced, cemented over, or scribbled upon due to poor public awareness. This underscores the urgent need for rigorous inventorying, identification, and protection measures.
According to Mr. Nguyen Van Hien, Deputy Director of the Public Service Center of Ngu Hanh Son Ward, the ward authorities have directed the development of a specialized project on “Promoting the value of Ma Nhai” to submit to competent authorities for consideration, thereby widely promoting the heritage to domestic and foreign tourists.
The conservation of Marble Mountains in general and ‘Ma Nhai’ in particular was facilitated with the Prime Minister’s issuance of decision on July 11, 2023 on approving the master plan for the conservation, restoration, and promotion of the national special landscape site.
Earlier this year, the Da Nang People's Committee continued to direct the preparation of a dossier seeking UNESCO World Cultural Heritage recognition for the Marble mountains.
This initiative is an important opportunity for researchers and managers to join hands to preserve and promote the value of Marble Mountains - a multi-layered and meaningful heritage, including’ Ma Nhai’.