South Korea has some wondrous ancient sites, and none are more important than those around Gyeongju, says Oliver Berry in National Geographic Traveller. Set among forested hills a couple of hours by high-speed train from Seoul, this historic town is a lovely place to wander, with its leafy avenues and traditional hanok houses and gardens.
But the height of its glory came more than 1,000 years ago: from 57BC until AD935 it was the capital of the kingdom of Silla, and for some time, one of the largest cities on Earth. The “most obvious legacy” of that time are the royal tombs “dotted around” the town – more than 100 mounds like giant “molehills”. Several of these have yielded extraordinary treasures, many of which are on display at the town’s dazzling National Museum.
Alongside Baekje and Goguryeo, Silla was one of three kingdoms that ruled the Korean peninsula together for hundreds of years, until the late 7th century when, with the help of Tang Chinese forces, it defeated the others. Many of Gyeongju’s treasures date from before that victory – including the 11,000 items found in the Cheonmachong (or “heavenly horse”) tomb, believed to have been created in the 5th or 6th century.
Today, visitors can enter the mound itself, where golden crowns, jewelled caps, suits of armour and gilt-bronze sandals sit under spotlights in the “inky” darkness. The most famous item is a birch-bark saddle emblazoned with a prancing horse – the design from which the tomb takes its modern name.
Several other sites around town also have roots in the Silla period, including the Woljeonggyo Bridge, a recent reconstruction of a structure built in AD760. Flanked by “ornate” gatehouses, and spanning 60m, it is the country’s largest wooden bridge. Grander still is Bulguksa Temple, set on the slopes of Mount Tohan, nine miles from Gyeongju. Although restored and altered many times over the years, the temple retains various treasures from the 8th and 9th centuries, including stone pagodas, and gilt-bronze statues of the seated Buddha.