Thế Miếu, Royal ancestral temple in Imperial City of Hue, Vietnam.
Thé Miếu is a royal ancestral temple in the Imperial City of Hue featuring traditional Vietnamese architecture with wooden columns, carved decorations, and a central courtyard. The shrine includes multiple worship halls arranged symmetrically around this courtyard, creating a contained and harmonious layout.
Emperor Minh Mang ordered construction between 1822 and 1823 to honor previous rulers of the Nguyen dynasty. The temple served as a key site for ancestral veneration throughout subsequent generations within the imperial citadel.
The name means 'temple of emperors' and reflects its purpose as a place to honor deceased rulers of the dynasty. Visitors can observe how the nine large urns, each dedicated to an emperor, form the focal point of the worship space and remain central to its identity today.
Visitors should wear clothing that covers shoulders and knees as a sign of respect at this sacred site. The grounds are easy to walk through, though arriving early allows you to experience the space in relative quiet and good light.
The central altar holds nine bronze urns whose decorations display Vietnamese landscape and cultural motifs crafted with intricate detail. These urns represent masterworks of imperial craftsmanship from that era and reward close observation.
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