Time-traveling in Gyeongju, ancient capital of grand royal tomb mounds

Visitors walk around Bonghwangdae of Daereungwon royal tomb complex, the largest tumulus in Gyeongju, North Gyeongsang Province, Friday. Korea Times photo by Lee Hae-rin

By Lee Hae-rin

• Published Apr 23, 2025 5:07 PM KST

Silla’s 1,000-year legacy lives on in southeastern Korea

GYEONGJU, North Gyeongsang Province — Documentary producer Lee So-yoon, in her book about the ancient city of Gyeongju, offers a simple guide for travelers: “If you don’t want to get lost in Gyeongju, you only need two things — a copy of the Samguk Yusa (Memorabilia of the Three Kingdoms) and your imagination.”

The southeastern coastal city, often compared to Kyoto, Japan, for its rich history, was the ancient capital of the Silla Dynasty (57 B.C.-A.D. 935) for nearly a thousand years.

Much like how the legacy of the Joseon Dynasty (1392–1910) lives on in Seoul, Gyeongju — often called the “roofless museum” — beautifully showcases the natural splendor, historical depth and cultural richness of the Three Kingdoms period (57 B.C.–A.D. 668), along with the artistic and technological achievements of the Silla Kingdom.

Upon arriving in Gyeongju, one of the city’s most striking historical features is immediately apparent: a cluster of ancient royal tombs known as tumuli. These large, grass-covered burial mounds rise quietly throughout the downtown area, blending the everyday with echoes of a royal past.

A stroll along the royal tombs lets visitors delve into the serene and magical ambiance that comes from the city's harmony of past and present, living and dead.

Daereungwon, an ancient royal tomb complex in the old section of downtown, is home to 23 tombs of kings, queens and nobles from the Silla dynasty, which was ruled at different times by the Park, Seok and Kim clans.

Historians say these royal tombs were built between the fourth and sixth centuries to strengthen Silla's royal authority and demonstrate its might to the neighboring Goguryeo and Baekje states.

Although these grassy, curvy mounds may look the same, they come in different types — reung (or neung), chong and myo — depending on their size and nature.

The largest tumuli are “reung (neung),” or royal tombs. Some examples include Munmuwangreung (the royal tomb of King Munmu) and Seondeokyeowangreung (the royal tomb of Queen Seondeok).

“Chong” is used for royal tombs when the royal person the tomb was built for is unknown — their size clearly indicates royalty but the individuals are unidentified. For example, the famous Cheonmachong (Heavenly Horse Tomb) was named after a painting of a flying horse found among the grave goods, while Geumgwanchong (Gold Crown Tomb) is where a golden crown was unearthed during excavation in 1921.

The word “myo” means grave, and refers to any smaller burial mound.

Royal tombs are often protected and surrounded by groves of pine trees, which old historical records say Silla people cultivated to befriend the deceased and serve as a foothold to climb to heaven.

Walking the curved paths between the royal mounds leads one to wonder what is inside. While most tombs remain closed and unexplored, remaining as time capsules carrying thousand-year-old secrets, Cheonmachong Tomb in Daereungwon gives a view back through the ages.

Inside the giant tumulus, excavated in 1973 as part of the late Park Chung-hee administration’s goal to develop Gyeongju as a major tourism attraction, the remains of the royal mound’s owner were found with his head to the east, wearing a gold crown.

Although it remains unclear who was buried there, the results of the excavation were astonishing. Over 11,000 artifacts, including a golden crown, cap, waist belt and necklace were found.

Notably, 504 of the artifacts found within were related to horses. In particular, a painting of a white winged horse drawn on a birchbark became emblematic of the tomb's artistic riches. This jangni, a decorative flap that helped protect horses' bellies from being splashed with mud, shows the depth of ancient Silla's culture and love for horses.

A short walk between the royal tombs of Daereungwon leads to Cheomseongdae, believed by many to be Asia’s oldest existent astronomical observatory, and a highlight for anyone seeking insight into Silla culture and technology.

The 9-meter-tall structure was built in the heart of the capital, in an area lined with royal palaces and tombs. It was constructed during the reign of Queen Seondeok, the first queen regnant in Korean historical records and a woman who to this day is considered one of Korea's most prominent and successful monarchs.

Against a historical background of turmoil and strife between kingdom-states, she stands out as a trailblazer who helped solidify Silla's dominance, a ruler as vital to Korean history as King Sejong of the Joseon Dynasty, who invented the Korean alphabet.

As the eldest daughter of King Jinpyeong, who had no son, she became the first queen in Korea's recorded history. Dynastic rules decreed that only members of the seonggol "sacred bone" caste could reign. Records describe her as “generous, benevolent, wise and smart” and said she had excellent foresight.

Because she was a woman, she endured a series of insults, interference in domestic affairs and attempts to dethrone her from neighboring Tang China, which exerted considerable political influence throughout East Asia at the time, as well as domestic opposition. The Tang emperor once sent a drawing of a flower that had no butterflies, slyly alluding to her unmarried status.

In response, she ordered the building of Cheomseongdae, a controversial decision because at the time, the privilege of “reading the will of heaven” belonged to Tang China, the most powerful nation in East Asia.

In agrarian societies of the past, astronomical knowledge was vital, as the rhythms of farming were closely tied to celestial movement. The stars guided planting and harvesting, making the ability to read the heavens essential for survival and prosperity.

The construction of Cheomseongdae was a bold declaration of Silla’s sovereignty — a symbolic break from the Sinocentric belief that only China held the authority to read the stars and interpret the heavens.

Her later diplomatic efforts with Tang laid the foundation for the unification of the Three Kingdoms and the subsequent beginnings of Unified Silla, the first united kingdom extending throughout the Korean peninsula.

Hwang Yoon, a historical travel essayist whose affection for Silla has led him to visit Gyeongju over a hundred times, wrote in his book that the city's resilient spirit helped make it the “final winner” of the tumultuous Three Kingdoms period, which saw constant warfare and competition for power and territory.

“The Silla people, who were well aware that their power and culture were not as strong as those of Goguryeo and Baekje, constantly tried to pursue the best while becoming aware of themselves through active exchanges with the outside world,” he wrote.

“The Silla people always tried to make something of the highest quality possible with their own abilities, at least within the Korean Peninsula. They sometimes endured moments of humiliation, and the highest-ranking figures took the lead in sacrificing themselves in the national crisis. This could be why Silla won in history and its traces remain throughout Gyeongju.”