The Yongning Pagoda or Yongning Temple in Luoyang was one of the tallest buildings of the world from 516 AD to 534 AD. The timber-frame pagoda with a complete column grid and a stabilising masonry-core was built during the Northern Wei in 516 AD but is no longer extant. Possibly nine stories high, of which seven were made of earth platforms with wooden verandas, and the top two stories being completely out of wood. The tower is 136 metres, making it is one of the tallest buildings at that time and the tallest pagoda ever built until the completion of the Tianning Temple (Changzhou) in 2007.
According to evidence unearthed by modern archaeological excavation, the pagoda had a square foundation of rammed earth with a width of 38.2 meters. According to Yang Xuanzhi who lived in Luoyang in the year 520, the pagoda could be seen from as far as 50 kilometers. The Yongning Pagoda was destroyed in 534 when it was struck by lightning and caught fire.
Created by Hong Quan CAND
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