The innovative features of this building and the Manjakamiadana

The innovative features of this building and the Manjakamiadana it inspired—particularly the verandas supported by exterior columns—became the new norm in highlands architecture, especially upon the adoption of brick as the principal building material.^[54] On each floor of the two-storey building, the floor plan consisted of a large central room flanked on either side by two smaller rooms.^[39] SONY PCG-7134M battery Although the interior was laid out according to traditional cosmological norms with a north-south orientation and central supporting pillar, the decor was entirely innovative. Tranovola was the first building in Imerina to feature glass windows. Its walls were inlaid with mirrors^[51] and painted with naive art frescoes of Merina sovereigns and royal army imagery in a style that has drawn comparisons with French 19th century Épinal prints.^[39] SONY PCG-7131M battery The building's fine silk brocaded curtains, chandeliers, cabinets in ebony and gold, and sculptures in alabaster and bronze were remarked upon by a European visitor in 1823, as were the colourful fabric wall coverings imported from England.^[51] During the reign of Ranavalona I, Crown Prince Rakoto (later King Radama II) occupied Tranovola as his personal residence. After the Queen's death, Sony VAIO PCG-7171M battery Radama continued to occupy rooms on the second storey of the building, using the smaller rooms on the ground floor as storage space.^[55] A British visitor in 1873 reported that the wooden floors of Tranovola were highly polished, while the walls were hung with French wallpaper and decorated with imported mirrors and oil paintings including a portrait of Queen Victoria given as a gift to Radama II. Sony PCG-61211M battery Just inside the front door sat a seven-pound Armstrong gun in its carriage with numerous imported sofas, costly decorative objects and other items placed throughout the vast space.^[47] Under Gallieni's colonial administration, Tranovola was annexed to L'Ecole le Myre de Vilers housed in the nearby Manjakamiadana.^[49] Sony PCG-71213M battery Later, in 1902, Tranovola became the headquarters of the Académie Malgache (Malagasy Academy) before being transformed into a museum of palaeontology. Manampisoa, also called Lapasoa ("Beautiful Palace"), was a small villa in the form of a cross designed by James Cameron for Queen Rasoherina.^[35] Construction was overseen by William Pool.^[39] Sony PCG-71311M battery After the first corner post of the building was raised on 25 April 1865, work continued for two years before Manampisoa was complete. Measuring approximately 19 metres (62 ft) long, 9.1 metres (30 ft) wide and 15 metres (49 ft) high,^[16] the structure was built using traditional vertical wood wall boards topped by a wooden roof and featured sliding windows protected by heavy wooden shutters.^[49] Sony PCG-71212M battery It was built on a site formerly occupied by the wooden house called Marivolanitra, which was relocated to Mahazoarivo to make room for the new building.^[48] Inside, the layout consisted of two floors with four rooms each, linked by a central staircase with a decorative wooden balustrade. Ebony and rosewood were used for the interior panelling, floors and ceilings while the floor of the central hall exhibited a diamond parquet design in oak and rosewood.^[39] Sony PCG-71313M battery An 1873 visitor described the floor as "highly polished ... all right enough for bare feet but rather slippery for boots". Wallpaper adorned the walls of the central hall, which was approximately 15 metres (49 ft) long, 6.1 metres (20 ft) wide and 3.7 metres (12 ft) high. The queen's couch occupied the northeast corner of the room, a space reserved for the ancestors according to traditional Malagasy cosmology, where she would receive visitors in repose.^[49] Sony VAIO PCG-31111M battery A room formerly used as an office by Prime Minister Rainilaiarivony occupied the portion of the second floor facing the stairway.Manampisoa was one of the residences of queens Rasoherina, Ranavalona II and Ranavalona III, the last three monarchs of the Kingdom of Madagascar.^[47] Once complete, Manampisoa was used by Rasoherina as her primary residence but the queen was only able to inhabit the house for approximately one year before dying in April 1868. Sony VAIO PCG-31112M battery After Rasoherina's death, her successor, Ranavalona II, used the building as a temporary worship space during work on the stone chapel.^[48] Upon the collapse of the monarchy following French colonisation, the colonial authority transformed Manampisoa into a museum of Malagasy culture. To the south of Manjakamiadana and Tranovola stood a number of smaller, older wooden houses, Sony VAIO PCG-31113M battery each between 15 metres (49 ft) and 18 metres (59 ft) high built in the traditional Merina architectural style reserved for the noble class. Three of these were of particular importance: Besakana, Mahitsy and Masoandro. Besakana is believed to have been the first residence of a Merina sovereign on the Rova site. Historical accounts claim that the first sovereign of Antananarivo, Andrianjaka, built the original Besakana as his personal residence at his newly established capital in the mid-17th century. Sony VAIO PCG-31114M battery This original building was torn down and reconstructed in the same design by Andriamasinavalona around 1680, and again by Andrianampoinimerina in 1800, each of whom used the building as their personal residence. Radama I lived in Besakana for much of his time in the Rova compound.^[35] The first school in Imerina was established at Radama's behest on 8 December 1820 by David Jones of the London Missionary Society to educate the children of the royal family. Sony VAIO PCG-31111V battery This school initially operated from Besakana for a short while until classes were transferred to the larger, recently remodelled Bevato nearby.^[56] Sovereigns were enthroned in Besakana and their mortal remains were displayed here before burial.^[16] A visitor writing in 1888 described this ancient building as "the official state room for civil affairs... regarded as the throne of the kingdom."^[55] Sony VAIO PCG-31112V battery Mahitsielafanjaka (Mahitsy) became the residence of Andrianampoinimerina after he moved his capital from Ambohimanga to Antananarivo.^[39] Described in 1888 as the seat of ancestral spiritual authority at the Rova, the traditional sacrifice of a rooster during the ceremony of the Fandroana took place here, and ombiasy (astrologers) asked to perform sikidy(divination) for a sovereign would do so within this space.^[55] Sony VAIO PCG-31113V battery The building also formerly housed a major royal idol called Manjakatsiroa^[39] (or the entire collection of royal idols, according to another account) until the supposed public burning of all such relics by Queen Ranavalona II in 1869 following her conversion to Christianity.^[16] Built in 1796, the traditional wooden Mahitsy follows traditional architectural norms: Sony VAIO PCG-31114V battery the roof is supported by the central pillar, and two superimposed beds—the highest for the king and the other for his wives—are located in the northeast corner, the portion of the home reserved for royalty and the ancestors. These beds are raised high off the ground to protect the sleepers from a nocturnal attack. Sony VAIO PCG-GRS100 battery Items formerly on display in this building after the end of the Merina monarchy in 1897 until the destruction of the original structure in the 1995 fire included Andrianampoinimerina's filanzana (palanquin), several wooden trunks and a pot of jaka (zebu confit) said to date from the king's reign.^[39] The name Masoandrotsiroa (Masoandro) was given to a series of buildings on the Rova grounds. Sony VAIO PCG-41111M battery The original Masoandro was one of the first three residences built by the Rova's founder, Andrianjaka, in the early 17th century,^[12] and over time it became the house reserved for occupation by a new sovereign immediately following coronation.^[55] This same Masoandro or a restored version of it was still standing on the Rova grounds and occupied by one of Andrianampoinimerina's wives two hundred years later.^[21] Sony VAIO PCG-41112M battery However, historic sources offer seemingly contradictory or incomplete accounts of the fate of this historic building. A Masoandro was said to have been relocated from the Rova to Ambohimanga by Ranavalona I.^[24] Another source states that Masoandro was demolished at the Rova by Ranavalona II and replaced by a house in brick, only to be demolished again by Ranavalona III. Sony VAIO PCG-41111V battery This last sovereign of Madagascar sought to build a new brick palace, also called Masoandro, with four square corner towers and a higher central tower modelled on the French Residence of Antananarivo. Work began in 1893 but was interrupted by war with France in 1895. The brick foundations of this unfinished Masoandro are still visible today.^[57] SONY VAIO PCG-6Q1L CPU Fan Still another source states that Masoandro was one of three traditional wooden houses still standing at the Rova when Madagascar was colonised by the French, with the implication that the name was applied to distinct buildings at various times. Near the foundations of the brick Masoandro formerly stood Kelisoa, HP Pavilion DV9243EA Laptop Keyboard a traditional wooden structure which housed sacred animals^[39]and concubines^[6] at different points during the reign of Radama I and was later used by Ranavalona III to hold receptions. Also formerly standing here was Tsarahafatra ("Good Message"), a small palace built for Ranavalona I,^[39] rebuilt after 1862, occupied as a primary residence by Ranavalona II and Ranavalona III,^[48] and ultimately destroyed by French artillery in September 1895.^[39] Lenovo 3000 Y500 Laptop Keyboard By the 1960s, Besakana, Mahitsy and one other wooden house^[39] (presumably the last wooden Masoandro^[55]) were the only remaining examples of an estimated twenty ancient aristocratic houses that had occupied the Rova site during the reign of Andrianampoinimerina.^[39] By 1975, this unidentified third house—said to be the oldest original structure on the grounds^[39]—was no longer standing. HP Pavilion DV8310CA Laptop Keyboard Nine royal tombs were located in the north-eastern quadrant of the Rova grounds. These included the two large tombs of King Radama I (d.1828) and Queen Rasoherina (d.1868), as well as seven ancient wooden tombs known collectively as the Fitomiandalana. These older tombs, the first of which was built in 1630 for King Andrianjaka,  Lenovo 0A62039 Laptop Keyboard were a series of seven tomb pits topped with individual wooden trano masina (tomb houses) built close together in a row with their gable peaks aligned, followed by one tomb pit without a tomb house. Tomb houses are particular to highland tombs and are intended to indicate the noble rank of the deceased and house his or her spirit after death.DELL Vostro 3450 Laptop Keyboard Each tomb of the Fitomiandalana contained the bodies of early Kings of Imerina and their relatives, and was assigned a name after the principal occupant of the underlying grave. These were, in order: Andrianavalonibemihisatra (son of Andriamasinavalona and King of Antananarivo, five bodies), Andriamponimerina (son of Andriamasinavalona and King of Antananarivo at the time of future king Andrianampoinimerina's birth, three bodies),  TOSHIBA Mini NB 505-SP0160 Laptop Keyboard Andrianjakanavalomandimby (oldest son of Andriamasinavalona and King of Antananarivo, two bodies), Andriamasinavalona (great-grandson of Andrianjaka and King of Imerina, three bodies), Andriantsimitoviaminandriandehibe(grandson of Andrianjaka and King of Imerina, two bodies), Andrianjaka (founder of Antananarivo and King of Imerina, 12 bodies) and Andriantsitakatrandriana (son of Andrianjaka and King of Imerina, two bodies).  Lenovo 3000 G530 4151 Laptop Keyboard The final tomb without a tomb house was for Andriantomponimerina (son of Andriamasinavalona and King of Antananarivo) and housed eight bodies.^[13] After the dissolution of the Kingdom of Madagascar, the French colonial authorities shifted the location of these tombs thereby disrupting the original cosmological symbolism of their arrangement.^[35] HP G61-400SP Laptop Keyboard When the original tombs were excavated for relocation, the French found the mortal remains of the nobles within had each been wrapped in numerous traditional lambas (woven silk cloths) then set within wooden coffins packed with charcoal. Bodies buried at Ambohimanga were found to have been entombed in the same way.^[13] Two more distinctive stone tombs were built beside the Fitomiandalana, to the north of Tranovola, COMPAQ Presario CQ40-133TU Laptop Keyboard the first of which was completed in 1828 by Louis Gros for Radama I. Further north, the second tomb was originally built for Queen Rasoherina by James Cameron in 1868.^[16] Both of these stone tombs were topped with a tomb house.^[35] Radama's tomb bears features popularised during the reign of his father, Andrianampoinimerina: three superimposed levels (excluding the tomb house) with upright sheets of stone at the base level, HP 317443-001 Laptop Keyboard one of which could be removed to provide access to the subterranean chamber where the sovereign's body was laid upon a massive stone slab. Radama's tomb house broke with tradition by replacing the usual miniaturised version of the aristocratic wooden house (typified by Besakana and other ancient houses in the Rova grounds) with a house featuring a veranda, an architectural novelty introduced during his reign.  HP HDX18-1200 CTO Laptop Keyboard The roof of this tomb house was originally thatch made from rushes but was replaced in the 1850s with wooden shingles, an innovation introduced from nearby Reunion Island or Mauritius. By contrast, the tomb of Rasoherina, erected forty years later, featured a two-level base (excluding the tomb house) made of chiselled stone blocks held together with cement.^[59]  DELL Vostro 1014 Laptop Keyboard General Joseph Gallieni ordered the disinterment of the Merina sovereigns buried 21 kilometres (13 mi) away at Ambohimanga and had them reburied at the Rova.^[60]The bodies of Radama II and Andrianampoinimerina were added to the tomb of Radama I, while those of Ranavalona I and Ranavalona II went into the tomb of Rasoherina. TOSHIBA Mini NB 300 Series Laptop Keyboard Several decades later in 1938, the body of Ranavalona III, who died in 1917 at her place of exile in Algiers (Algeria), was added to those of the other queens of Madagascar at the Rova. During the 1995 fire, heat from the burning wooden structures within the Rova compound caused the stone tombs to explode, leaving the mortal remains of generations of Merina sovereigns to be consumed by the flames. Lenovo 3000 G530 4151 Laptop Keyboard Built by William Pool for Ranavalona II, Fiangonana ("Chapel") required eleven years to complete.^[16]The structure's foundation stone was laid on 20 July 1869,^[61] and its subsequent construction used over 35,000 hand-chiselled stones.^[37] Inaugurated on 8 April 1880,^[35] the central worship space measured 12.9 metres (42 ft) wide and 18.5 metres (61 ft) in length with an estimated capacity of 450 persons. SONY VAIO VGN-SZ750N/C Laptop Keyboard The building was designed with a private pew for the royal family, elevated on a platform approximately 0.91 metres (3.0 ft) high and accessed by a short staircase. A private entrance available to the royal family was accessible by a decorative exterior bridge linking the chapel to the raised embankment upon which Manampisoa stood.^[61] Lenovo 45N2106 Laptop Keyboard The chapel boasts a number of distinctive features. At the time of its completion, its 34-metre (112 ft) tower was the only structure in Madagascar to be roofed in locally sourced slate. The windows were decorated with stained glass, and a pipe organ was installed to provide music at services. The organ and stained glass were imported from England,  Lenovo 45N2141 laptop keyboard while the pews, altar panels and queen's private pew were all ornately crafted from indigenous precious woods by local artisans.^[37] During the colonial period, the chapel was used briefly as an exhibition space for European paintings before being closed to the public. On the night of 6 November 1995, a fire broke out in the Rova compound, destroying or severely damaging all of its buildings.^[62] HP Pavilion dv6-2133ee laptop keyboard Once the flames had been extinguished, all that remained of the original structures were the stone shells of the royal chapel and Manjakamiadana. Fire-fighters arrived late at the scene. Their capacity to douse the fire was hampered by the discovery that their fire hoses did not properly fit onto the nearby hydrants. In addition, the water pressure at the hydrants was significantly reduced due to Analamanga hilltop's high elevation. HP COMPAQ NX6320 laptop keyboard As the fire-fighters battled the flames, numerous bystanders ran into Rova compound buildings to retrieve artefacts of historic and cultural significance. Approximately 1,675 objects were saved out of an estimated total of 6,700. Some pillaging is believed to have occurred.^[63] On the night of the fire, the body of one of the queens was found in the public square in the centre of the city. ASUS X85S laptop keyboard A funeral vigil was held the following day for these royal remains.^[62] The remains were later identified as belonging to Ranavalona III, and have since been re-interred in the royal tombs at Ambohimanga.^[64] The destruction of the Rova of Antananarivo occurred at a time when the complex was in the final stages of the process to become classified as Madagascar's first cultural UNESCO World Heritage Site.HP Mini 110-3519la laptop keyboard Six people were initially charged in connection with the Rova's destruction in an Antananarivo court of law,^[46] but the official investigation concluded that the fire was an accident.^[63]Public accusations of a cover-up placed the blame for the fire on government officials, various ethnic groups, foreign powers and other parties.^[62] Over fifteen years after the fire, the widespread belief persists within and outside Madagascar that a deliberate arson was the cause.^[66] Lenovo 45N2205 Laptop Keyboard Rumoured justifications for arson at the Rova were numerous and remain unproven. The revelation that important financial archives had been destroyed early on the morning of the fire sparked rumours that corrupt government officials had lit the blaze to create a public distraction from their illicit activities. Other explanations have included popular dissatisfaction with the election of divisive mayor Guy Willy Razanamasy or a flare-up of long-standing tensions among coastal peoples resentful of Merina socio-political domination. HP 636376-001 Laptop Keyboard Accusations were also made against both then-president Albert Zafy and his predecessor, Didier Ratsiraka. The debate over why and how the Rova burned remains an unresolved and highly contentious subject almost two decades later. Shortly after the fire, the government of Madagascar established the Direction nationale des opérations Rova (DNOR, HP Pavilion dv6-2112sa Laptop Keyboard or National Office of Rova Operations), a body directed by four national experts within Madagascar's Ministry of Culture who were tasked with developing and overseeing plans for the reconstruction of the Rova. Two years after the fire, several key milestones in the process had been achieved, with objects recovered from the fire inventoried, site excavations completed, HP 517865-031 Laptop Keyboard preliminary restoration plans for Manjakamiadana developed, and work on the royal chapel initiated. A ramp was also built to enable site access for the necessary heavy construction vehicles. Prior to work commencing, a traditional ceremony was performed to restore the sanctity of the site, which had served a dual role as both a physical tomb and spiritual link to venerated ancestors.^[67] HP Compaq NC8430 Laptop Keyboard Estimated initial reconstruction costs were put at 20 million U.S. dollars by experts from UNESCO,^[67] which was the principal contributor of funds as well as expertise due to the Rova's then status as a soon-to-be officially recognised World Heritage Site. TheFrench Development Agency also pledged tens of thousands of dollars to the project while additional monies in the form of private donations from residents of SAMSUNG NP-N102-JA01DX Laptop Keyboard Antananarivo helped to fund the reconstruction of the tombs on the complex.^[67] However, according to a UNESCO report released in June 2000, the majority of funds raised by UNESCO between 1997 and 2000 for the Ratsiraka administration's Rova reconstruction initiative—an estimated 700 billion Malagasy Francs—were allegedly embezzled by the DNOR Administrator, stalling reconstruction at the end of the planning stage.^[68] DELL V119525BS1 Laptop Keyboard Significant progress toward reconstruction was seen under the administration of President Marc Ravalomanana (2001–2009) who created the Comité national du patrimoine (CMP, or National Heritage Committee) responsible for overseeing the effort. The less time-intensive restoration projects were the first to be undertaken and completed. TOSHIBA Satellite P500 Laptop Keyboard Efforts to restore the chapel, the monument least affected by the fire due to its stone structure,^[67] focused particularly on restoring its roof, steeple and wooden pews along with altar panels that had burned in the fire. Work on the chapel was completed in 2003. Reconstruction work on Mahitsy began in 2001 and was completed in January 2003, while planning for the reconstruction of Besakana began in December 2003 but stalled in 2009.  Lenovo ThinkPad Edge E520 Laptop Keyboard The restoration of the nine royal tombs in the Rova complex was completed in October 2003.^[37] In early January 2006, Phase 1 of the Manjakamiadana reconstruction commenced. This phase was scheduled for completion in May 2008.^[38] The reconstruction of the larger wooden palaces, such as Tranovola and Manampisoa, has not been planned. TOSHIBA Satellite L300 Laptop Keyboard The original exterior of Manjakamiadana comprised over 70,000 granite stones, of which approximately 20,000 had become cracked during the fire and needed replacement.^[38] The western wall of the palace partially collapsed in January 2004 and required complete rebuilding.^[63] Every stone was removed and numbered to facilitate the reinsertion of each one in its original place with two French stone-masonry companies engaged to supervise the work.^[38] DELL AEFM8U00310 Laptop Keyboard The foundation was modernised, first using laser technology to assess the topography of the site, then by driving 22 cement piles into the ground beneath the foundation base to a depth of 23 metres (75 ft).^[38] Phase 2 consisted of replacing each of the numbered exterior wall stones in its original place, bolstered where needed by new stones to replace those damaged in the fire.  DELL 0P445M Laptop Keyboard Although the palace interior was originally made of wood, the reconstructed building was designed using reinforced concrete interior supporting beams for the walls, ceiling and roof due to concerns over the availability and durability of hardwood.^[69] Finally, the roof was re-tiled in blue-gray slate imported from quarries near the French city of Angers.^[38]  TOSHIBA Mini NB 255-SP1002L Laptop Keyboard Phases 1 and 2 of the reconstruction process were declared complete in December 2009 at a total cost of 6.5 million euros. The work employed 230 people at three sites: a granite quarry on National Route 1 (RN1), a separate site where the stones were chiselled into shape, and the site of the Rova itself.^[38] Phase 3 will consist of the design and rebuilding of the interior of the palace, SONY Vaio VGN-SZ73B/B CPU Fan while Phase 4 will involve planning and subsequent development of the display and management of the museum collection to be housed on the ground floor. In late 2010, work on these final two phases of reconstruction was scheduled to begin in 2011 with completion expected within 24 months at a cost of approximately 3,765,000 euros.^[70] Following the completion of the first two phases, the Minister of Culture and Heritage fast-tracked the enclosure of windows and doors to protect the building's interior and began establishing a new inventory of historic objects saved from the fire. These artefacts are currently housed in theAndafiavaratra Palace, former home of late 19th-century Prime Minister Rainilaiarivony, and will be transferred to a museum within Manjakamiadana upon its completion.^[71] Dell Latitude E6510 CPU Fan In March 2009 the Ravalomanana administration was ousted following several months of opposition protests led by then-mayor of Antananarivo, Andry Rajoelina. The transfer of power to Rajoelina, who adopted the title of President of the High Transitional Authority (HAT), was widely viewed as a coup d'état by members of the international community, leading many bilateral and intergovernmental donors to suspend non-humanitarian support to the regime. SONY UDQFRZH13CF0 CPU Fan The HAT declared its intention to continue the Manjakamiadana reconstruction project using a combination of state funds and donations from private Malagasy citizens. Six banking agencies in Madagascar were selected to serve as collection points for private donations.^[76] HP Pavilion dv6-3370ca CPU Fan On 7 March 2011 the HAT relieved the original members of the National Heritage Committee of their posts and mandated the appointment of new members selected from among the regime's ministerial staff. Despite the introduction of these diverse strategies, the HAT struggled to obtain adequate funds to continue the pace of Rova reconstruction seen in the latter half of the Ravalomanana presidency. HP G62-341NR CPU Fan Progress toward completion advanced sporadically at a gradual rate throughout the Rajoelina administration.^[77][78] Since assuming power in January 2014, theRajaonarimampianina administration has been engaged in discussions with the French Secretary of State for the Francophonie and International Development to agree upon French financial support to assist in completing the restoration work. HP 535438-001 CPU Fan In June 2014, the administration declared that the cost of completing the final two phases had risen to 6-7 million from the 3.7 million originally estimated in 2010. Dell Vostro 3450 CPU Fan,DELL XPS M170 CPU Fan,HP Pavilion dv6z-3100 CTO CPU Fan