La Plaine des Jarres: a mysterious archaeological site
In the mountains of the north Laos in the Xieng Khouang province , are scattered thousands of giant jars, made of stone, each weighing several tons (up to 7 tons). The jars are generally arranged in groups that can have up to several hundred jars. They are mainly on a plateau around the city of Phonsavan . There are about 3000 jars scattered on 90 sites and extending over nearly 1000 km2. Each jar can measure up to 3 meters high, and all are cut into blocks of rock, often sandstone limestone, and sometimes granite. Some jars are decorated with bas-relief on the outside. Plain of the Jarres is considered to be 2000 years old and is one of the most important archaeological sites in Southeast Asia.
Flickr – Pigalle
The existence of edges on jars suggests that they had a lid and were therefore used for storage. We do not yet know the exact origin of these jars, but we can doubt the usefulness of them: everything seems to indicate that they were used for the storage of food or fermentation tanks for the production of rice alcohol. They could also be used as a container to collect rainwater during monsoon seasons, or even more strange, funerary urns. This latter supposition is also valid because of many human remains such as bones and teeth, burial objects and ceramics found around jars.
The site was discovered in the 1930s by Madeleine Colani, a French archaeologist, but the war and politicians prevented the pursuit of the jars until 1994. During the Vietnam War many jars were damaged by the American bombings, and there are still thousands of tons of unexploded ordnance around the jars making the excavations difficult and dangerous.
Flickr – Exilism
From 1964 to 1973, the US forces carried out nearly 600,000 bombing missions over the Laos, leaving more than two million tons of ammunition. On a per capita basis, the Laos is the country that was the most bombed on Earth, and the Xieng Khouang province, where the Jarres Plain is, was the second most targeted region, with more than 63,000 bombs. It is estimated that 30% of the bombs did not explode on impact. Every year, people are killed and injured because of this.
Approaches were made for rank the Plaine des Jarres on UNESCO World Heritage List and mine-clearing campaigns are carried out by international organizations.
The most visited jarring site is located near the city of Phonsavan, and is known as " Site 1" However, seven jar sites have been demined and are open to visitors. These are currently the Sites 1 , 2 and 3 . There is also Site 16 near the former capital Xieng Khouang, the Site 23 near the large hot water source in Muang Kham, Site 25 , very little visited, in the district of Muang and finally the Site 52 , the most important site known to date with 392 jarres, located near a traditional Hmong village and accessible only on foot.
One of the biggest jarres – Wikimedia – Christopher Voitus
How to go to the Plaine des Jarres since Vientiane, Luang Prabang or Vang Vieng ?
To go on a plane , the nearest airport to the Plaine des Jarres is Phonsavan (Xieng Khouang Airport). Lao Airlines offers six high-season flights a week and four low-season flights from (or to) Vientiane.
To go by bus From Vientiane it takes 10-12 hours. The road is really hard to practice, the trip is hard enough to bear. You can also come from Vang Vieng, the longest route, taking 7-8 hours. Buses depart every day from Luang Prabang via Route 13 and 7 and take 8 hours to reach Phonsavan. You can also rent a minivan from Vientiane or Luang Prabang if you want to take your time...
Here's one. map to locate the Plaine des Jarres in Laos:
Did you visit the Plaine des Jarres in Laos?
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