Daereungwon Tomb Complex

In the middle of Gyeongju, huge grass-covered hills rise between the streets. They are not hills at all but the tombs of Silla kings, queens and nobles, built some 1,500 years ago. At Daereungwon you walk along paths between the mounds, and you can even step inside one of them, the tomb where a gold crown and the famous "Heavenly Horse" painting were found.

History: Silla tombs in the heart of a city

Several groups of tombs lie side by side here: those of Nodong-dong, Noseo-dong, Hwangnam-dong, Hwango-dong and Inwang-dong. Designated separately at first, the five groups were combined in 2011 into a single Historic Site, "Daereungwon and surroundings". The walled park itself holds 23 tombs of kings, queens and nobles, and the area is part of the Gyeongju Historic Areas, inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage List in 2000.

Most of the tombs are stone-mound wooden-chamber tombs. The body and grave goods were placed in a wooden chamber, which was then covered with a heap of stones and finally with earth. This solid construction made the tombs very hard to loot, which is why gold crowns and jewellery survived almost intact.

What to see

• Cheonmachong: the only tomb in Daereungwon you can enter. During its excavation in 1973 a saddle flap painted with a flying horse was found, giving the tomb its name, "Tomb of the Heavenly Horse". It is 47 m across and 12.7 m high, and because it is open inside you can see the structure of a stone-mound tomb up close.
• Hwangnamdaechong: a double tomb of two joined mounds, 120 m long from north to south, 80 m wide and 23 m high. The southern mound held a gilt-bronze crown and a man's bones, the northern one a gold crown and a silver piece inscribed "belt of the lady", so it is thought to be the tomb of a married couple.
• Tomb attributed to King Michu: traditionally said to be the tomb of King Michu of Silla, set apart by its own wall and gate.
• The pond and the paths between the mounds: the mounds reflected in the pond and the tree framed between two tombs are among the most photographed spots in Gyeongju.

Across the road: the Nodong-dong and Noseo-dong tombs

More tombs continue across the road to the northwest. Bonghwangdae is a giant with a circumference of 230 m and a height of 22 m. In Noseo-dong, Geumgwanchong yielded a gold crown in 1921, and Seobongchong is the tomb whose excavation was watched in 1926 by the Swedish crown prince Gustaf Adolf, himself an archaeologist. In 1946 a bronze vessel bearing the name of King Gwanggaeto of Goguryeo was found in Houchong, a key clue for dating Silla tombs.

Excavation stories

The first excavations here took place under Japanese rule: Geumgwanchong in 1921, Geumnyeongchong and Singnichong in 1924, and Seobongchong in 1926. After liberation came Houchong in 1946, Machong in 1953, Ssangsangchong in 1963 and Cheonmachong in 1973. Machong, the "Horse Tomb", owes its name to the horse bones and saddle fragments found inside.

Excavation has not stopped. In 2020 a pair of gilt-bronze ceremonial shoes from the late 5th or early 6th century was found. Daereungwon draws around one million visitors a year and was named one of the "Stars of Korean Tourism" in 2023.

Tripto tips

• Time: allow 60–90 minutes for Daereungwon and Cheonmachong, half a day if you add the tombs across the road and Cheomseongdae.
• Tickets: walking in the park is separate from visiting the inside of Cheonmachong, which has an admission fee. Check current hours and prices on the official Gyeongju tourism website.
• Best time: late afternoon, when the sun sets behind the mounds, and cherry blossom season in spring are the busiest. There is little shade on summer afternoons, so bring a hat.
• Combine it with: Cheomseongdae, Gyerim forest and Wolseong are all within walking distance, so you can link the central Gyeongju sites in one day.
• Please note: the mounds are protected heritage, so do not climb them.