PHOTO: Jan Gaanderse 19°26'5.64"С 103° 9'31.59"В

На высоте около 1000 м над уровнем моря по вершинам холмов разбросаны огромные кувшины неизвестного происхождения высотой от 1 до 3,5 м и диаметром около 1 м, самый крупный из которых весит 6 тонн. Больше всего они похожи на каменные ступы бабы-яги. Кувшины сделаны из камня таких пород, которые не встречаются в данной местности. О кувшинах мало что известно. Никто не знает, откуда и как они сюда попали, кто и для чего их изготовил. Лаосские легенды говорят, что в этой долине жили великаны.

Laos: Phonsavan

The Plain of Jars is a large group of historic cultural sites in Laos containing thousands of stone jars, which lie scattered throughout the Xieng Khouang plain in the Lao Highlands at the northern end of the Annamese Cordillera, the principal mountain range of Indochina. In the context of the Vietnam War and the Secret War, the Plain of Jars typically refers to the entire Xieng Khouang plain rather than the cultural sites themselves. At the moment, the ethno-linguistic nature of the people is not known. Archaeologists believe that the jars were used 1,500–2,000 years ago. Most of the excavated material has been dated to around 500 BC–800 AD. Anthropologists and archeologists have theorized that the jars may have been used as funeral urns or perhaps storage for food. Lao stories and legends claim that there was a race of giants who once inhabited the area. Local legend tells of an ancient king called Khun Cheung, who fought a long, victorious battle against his enemy. He supposedly created the jars to brew and store huge amounts of lao lao rice wine to celebrate his victory.