Gyeongju

Gyeongju, often called a museum without walls, was for a thousand years the capital of the ancient Silla kingdom, and the modern town is scattered with the treasures of that golden age. Great grassy royal burial mounds rise among the streets and parks, alongside the ancient Cheomseongdae observatory, the tranquil Anapji pond, temples and a superb museum, making this UNESCO area the richest concentration of ancient heritage in South Korea.

History

Korean records, probably drawn from Silla's chronicles, say that six villages around Gyeongju united under Bak Hyeokgeose in 57 BC to form Saro-guk, which grew into the kingdom of Silla, with this city, called Sŏrabŏl, Gyerim or Geumseong, as its capital for close to a thousand years. After Silla unified the peninsula up to the Taedong River in 668 it became the centre of Korean political and cultural life, its wealth reported as far away as Persia in a 9th-century book, and the Samguk yusa gives it 178,936 households at its peak, suggesting nearly a million people; many of its famous sites date from this Unified Silla period. Silla came to an end early in the 10th century, in 940 King Taejo of Goryeo renamed the city Gyeongju, and from 987 until 1012 it was the Eastern Capital (Wikipedia, Gyeongju).

The main sights

• The royal tombs - the great grassy burial mounds of the Silla kings.
• Cheomseongdae - one of the oldest observatories in East Asia.
• Donggung and Anapji - the palace pond, beautiful at night.
• The Gyeongju National Museum - the treasures of the Silla kingdom.

When to go

Spring and autumn for the mildest weather, cherry blossom or autumn colour; the sites are spread out, so a bicycle or a day is ideal. Anapji pond is beautifully lit and reflected after dark.

Good to know

The sights are spread across the town and beyond, so a bicycle, bus or a full day helps to link them, and the great tombs are grassy mounds you view rather than enter. It is best paired with the nearby Bulguksa temple. It is a relaxed, historic town rather than a dramatic single sight, rewarding an unhurried visit.

Nearby

The Bulguksa temple and Seokguram Grotto are just outside the town; Busan is to the south.