My Korea: Gyeongju

Wherever I go traveling in the world, one thing consistently attracts me: history. It defines who we are and who we will be. So it was no surprise when I decided to spend this year’s Chuseok exploring the ancient capital of Gyeongju, the historically rich city on the east coast.

For much of its history, the Korean peninsula was dominated by clans. Families kept to themselves, save for a few feuds or diplomatic alliances. Clans formed alliances over time and kingdoms grew out of these intermarried families. Around 100 B.C.E., the Baekje, Goguryeo and Silla kingdoms solidified and held power for several decades.

However, Silla emerged as the dominant power in 57 B.C.E., assimilating the other two kingdoms by 668 C.E. The period before 668 is known as the Three Kingdoms Silla and thereafter as the United Silla, the latter enduring until 935.

The first stop on my Gyeongju tour was the Tumuli Park, where Silla period royalty was entombed. These mounds started as wooden-framed central burial chambers, which were then buried beneath layered piles of rocks and soil.

Next up was the iconic Cheomseongdae, an ancient astronomical observatory. The base was filled with rocks and dirt to a portal and then ladders were used to allow sky-watchers to access the open platform on top.

A five-minute walk from Cheomseongdae was Anapji. Several structures remain of the former recreational area of the 30th Silla king, Munmu. It served as a reserve for flora and fauna and was a recreational facility for the royalty and guests.

A half-hour bus ride took me to Bulguk-sa, a temple constructed by Kim Daeseong (prime minister under Silla King Gyeongdeok) to pacify his parents’ spirits. Among the national treasures housed there are the three-story pagoda, Seokgatap, and the intricately constructed Dabotap.

Having read about a submarine burial site nearby, I took a taxi to the coast. The aforementioned King Munmu vowed he would be reincarnated as a water dragon to protect Korea from Japanese invasion. He asked his son Shinmun to put his ashes in an underwater tomb, which Shinmun did on the island Daewangam. He also constructed Gomun-sa, a temple with space below the floor where his father, in dragon form, could rest between portals. He also dug a waterway connecting the ocean to Gomun through which the dragon could swim.

In few places  can you experience so much Korean history. There is so much to explore, so Gyeongju is worth at least two or three visits.