Daereungwon Tomb Complex

A park in the centre of Gyeongju containing 23 large burial mounds from the Silla period, the tombs of kings, queens, and nobles who died between the 4th and 6th centuries AD. The mounds rise up to 22 metres high — great smooth green hills incongruously sitting among the city streets and pine trees. The inside of one of them, Cheonmachong (Heavenly Horse Tomb), has been hollowed out into a museum where visitors can see the original tomb chamber and the golden crowns, glass beads, and celadon vessels excavated from it.

Walking through the tomb park at dusk, when the mounds glow gold in the low light and the city sounds fade, is one of the most memorable experiences in Korea. Admission around 3,000 won; the park is open late.

things to do sight
A story
Silla royal tombs were built differently from other Korean kingdoms' burials: the coffin was placed in a wooden chamber, covered with a thick layer of river stones, and then buried under a mound of earth. The stone cap made them effectively impervious to grave robbers — the stones had to be removed individually, which was too labor-intensive to attempt. As a result, when archaeologists finally excavated Cheonmachong in 1973, they found it essentially intact after 1,500 years.

Other places in Things to Do