Nara in Japan is being rebuilt after 1,200 years (Image: Getty )
A 1,200-year-old is having an astonishing revival and being rebuilt after lost remnants were found in rice paddy fields.
The stunning Daigokuden Hall of Heijo Palace might look like a historic monument, but in fact it has been entirely rebuilt using the same ancient techniques dating back to the Nara Period, 710 AD – 794AD.
The hall, which cost over £155 million to rebuild, is part of a of Nara, a location which itself is famous for a population of wild deer which ‘bow’ to tourists in exchange for food.
The Kings and Things Youtube Channel decribes the transformation of the area, it says: “Modern Nara emerged in the 17th century as a thriving centre of commerce and manufacturing, but the city holds a much more ancient history as well.
“In 1897 a remarkable discovery was made in the nearby countryside, in the middle of the rice fields there stood a raised piece of land…used by local farmers as a convenient place to tie up their cattle.”
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Nara is famous for its friendly wild deer population which ‘bow’ to locals for food (Image: Getty )
But in an amazing twist archaeologists worked out the raised land was in fact the remnants of an imperial audience hall, which in turn was part of the 1,200-year-old remains of Heijo-Kyo, Japan’s first permanent capital city.
According to the Japanese Archaeology Department the hall was around 44 metres running east to west, by 19.5 metres running north to south.
The department said: “The multi-storied structure had a hipped and gabled roof laid with tiles. This illustration is based on a picture scroll of the Imperial Audience Hall at the Heian palace.
“The front side of the lower story was completely open, with the back and sides provided with walls, on which doors opened at the points of access from the ground level by stairs.
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Nara is a popular destination on the tourist trail around Japan (Image: Getty )
“The fine details of the design here are based upon National Treasures in Nara prefecture such as the eastern pagoda of Yakushiji, and the main hall of Hōryūji temples.”
The reconstruction of the ancient city accellerated during the 1990s with many monuments being completed, including the Suzaku Gate, the East Palace Garden and the Kunaicho, or Ministry of the Imperial Household.
In Japan it is common practice for ancient buildings, such as temples and palaces, to be rebuilt over time, partly because many are made from wood, and also because it helps preserve ancient craft skills.
Heijo-Kyo sits close to another former capital of Japan, Kyoto, which is around an hour north by train.