- Gyeongju Historic Areas
Infobox World Heritage Site
WHS = Gyeongju Historic Areas
State Party = flagicon|South KoreaRepublic of Korea
Type = Cultural
Criteria = ii, iii
ID = 976
Region = Asia-Pacific
Year = 2000
Session = 24th
Link = http://whc.unesco.org/en/list/976Infobox Korean name
title=Korean name
color=#eee
tablewidth=248
hangul=nowrap|경주 역사유적 지구
hanja=nowrap|linktext|慶|州|歷|史|遺|蹟|地|區
rr=Gyeongju Yeoksayujeok jigu
mr=Kyǒngju Yǒksayujǒk chiguThe Gyeongju Historic Areas ofSouth Korea were designated as aWorld Heritage Site byUNESCO in2000 CE. The protected areas encompass the ruins of temples and palaces, outdoor pagodas and statuary, and other cultural artifacts left by theSilla Kingdom. The historic areas are sometimes known as one of the largest outdoor museums in the world.Organization of the areas
Mount Namsan Belt
The Mount Namsan belt is anchored by Mount Namsan, a mountain that was held sacred by the Silla people. Both Buddhist artifacts and artifacts related to Shamanism that predate the introduction of Buddhism to Korea have been found at this site. Buddhist artifacts include the ruins of 122 temples, 53 stone statues, 64 stone pagodas, and sixteen stone lanterns. Other notable sites include the Namsan Mountain Fortress (built in
591 CE), thePoseokjeong Pavilion site (famous for its abalone-shaped watercourse), and the Seochulji Pond. Mount Namsan is famous for the various Buddhist images carved into the rocks and also show the progression and maturation of Silla sculpture during theUnified Silla period. The most famous example of these reliefs is the Buddha Rock. This bas-relief is located in the Tapgol Valley and consists of three walls decorated with the images of Buddha and his disciples.Tumuli of the Silla kings dating from the second century until the tenth century are also found at this belt.helloThe Wolseong Belt
The main attractions of this portion of the Gyeongju Historic Areas are the ruins of
Banwolseong (Half-moon Palace/Fortress), theGyerim forest, the ruins and reconstructions of the pavilions at the artificialAnapji Pond, the ruins of the Imhaejeon Palace, and the famousCheomseongdae Observatory.
idiootThe Tumuli Park Belt
This belt consists of three groups of royal tombs. Most of the tumuli are shaped like domes or mounds of earth. However, some are shaped like gourds or half-moons. Excavated tombs reveal wooden coffins covered with gravel and rich grave goods of gold, glass, and quality ceramics. A famous example of a tomb in this park is the
Heavenly Horse Tomb which contained a mural painting on birch bark saddle flap of a winged horse.Hwangnyongsa
This cluster of historic remains is centered around the ruins of
Hwangnyongsa Temple andBunhwangsa Temple. According to the excavated foundation stones, Hwangnyongsa was the largest temple ever built in Korea and covered 72,500㎡. The Bunhwagsa Temple exists today at a fraction of its size. In the past, it was one of the most important Buddhist temples. A stone pagoda made from brick-like stones is a popular ruin. It is believed to have had seven or nine stories but only three remain today.ee also
*
Gyeongju National Park
*Tourism in Gyeongju
*Silla External links
* [http://whc.unesco.org/en/list/976 UNESCO]
* [http://www.heritage.go.kr/eng/her/her_07.jsp Korean National Heritage Online]
* [http://english.cha.go.kr/ Cultural Heritage]
* [http://www.orientalarchitecture.com/ Oriental Architecture]
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