The Progress of Five Years Part 2

The royal procession ended at the newly completed Grand Civic Square, the ceremonial heart of the reconstructed capital.

Five years earlier, the same space had been little more than an uneven field crossed by muddy footpaths and crowded with temporary market stalls. During heavy rain, the ground turned to sludge. During summer, dust covered everything.

Now the square stretched across nearly fifteen acres of granite plazas, landscaped gardens, ornamental fountains, flowering trees, and broad promenades connecting the Royal Palace with the principal government ministries.

Every part of it had been planned around the movement of people.

Wide stairways opened toward the avenues. Covered galleries provided shade along the government buildings. Fountain basins collected and recirculated water through pumps hidden beneath the pavement, while underground drainage channels prevented rain from collecting across the plaza.