In late September 2011, I took a day trip from Daegu to Gyeongju to check out some of the ancient tombs which the area is well-known for. Fortunately for me the weather was absolutely gorgeous and I came away with a fun experience and some nice photos to go with it. Three of the tomb complexes are rather close to each other and so I was able to walk to four different tomb complexes and still have time to visit the national museum, all in a single day.

Noseo-ri Tombs

The four tomb complexes I visited include:

#1 & #2 Noseo-ri Tombs & Nodong-ri Tombs
#3 Daereungwon Royal Tombs
#4 Five Tomb Complex

Noseo-ri Tombs

The first two tomb complexes in the list are adjacent to each other and form a kind of public park, so I have combined them as my topic for this first article.

Upon arriving at Gyeongju, I recommend getting a guide map from the tourist office located between the intercity bus terminal and the express bus terminal. Finding the Noseo-ri & Nodong-ri Tombs will be a piece of cake after that. It’s maybe 2 minutes by foot from the tourist office.

Noseo-ri Tombs

The first set of tombs you will encounter are the Noseo-ri Tombs, named for the part of town they lie in. Within these burial mounds some important historical relics were found (two gold crowns and a jar that helped date the tombs) during excavations in 1921, 1926 (with the help of the Swedish Crown Prince Gustav Adolf VI), and 1946.

Noseo-ri Tombs

The second set of tombs you will find are the Nodong-ri Tombs, also named for the part of the city that they lie in. The big tomb called Bonghwangdae is the biggest in Korea. At its base, it is 250m in circumference, it is 22m high, and has a diameter of 82m. It’s big.

Bonghwangdae

In the 1970′s, when the government was managing the tombs, they decided to remove the houses that were between the tombs, remove the trees growing on them, and restore their shapes. However, the trees on Bonghwangdae were left alone, providing a unique sight for us to see today.

Bonghwangdae, the largest tomb in Korea

Seeing Korean tombs like these in person really helps me to put into perspective the great amount of power the ancient kings wielded. If they are impressive in modern times, they must have been doubly so during the time period they were created.

Sitting at my desk and looking back, visiting Gyeongju is a no-brainer, and taking the 20 minutes or so out of your itinerary to see the Noseo-ri & Nodong-ri Tombs ought to be an easy decision too.

Resources
Cultural Heritage Administration of Korea
Gyeongju City Guide (Official)