A major conservation project at a 10th-century Champa brick temple in the Quang Nam province of Vietnam has uncovered previously obscured stone friezes. Unlike the usual religious motifs, these carvings depict maritime activities, including the construction of multi-masted ships and trade exchanges between Cham priests and foreign merchants, likely from the Indian subcontinent.
This discovery highlights the cosmopolitan nature of the Champa civilization and their sophisticated naval engineering. The restoration team is using specialized organic solvents to clean the delicate brickwork, ensuring that these rare secular depictions are preserved for future study of the Silk Road of the Sea.