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HERITAGE
A
NEW FUTURE FOR
ANCIENT HERITAGE The U.S. Ambassador preserves the Plain of Jars TEXT BY JASON ROLAN PHOTOGRAPHS BY THE EMBASSY OF THE UNITED STATES IN VIENTIANE AND PHOONSAB THEVONGSA
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n the misty mountains of northeastern Laos lies a high plateau with a cool, dry climate unlike any other in Laos. The weather isn’t the only unique feature of Xieng Khouang; it is also the home of mysterious stone jars crafted by an ancient civilization for an unknown purpose. First studied by Madeleine Colani in the 1930s, the secret origin of the jars remains a mystery. To this day the jars are scattered over multiple sites around the area and sizes and shapes vary from one-meter tubes to giant three-meter. Nearby Phou Keng seems to be the quarry site for most of the jars, but how they were carved and transported 10-20 km to their present locations? Visit Xieng Khouang and make your own conclusions.
