King Gongmin's tomb
.jpg)
The king Gongmin grave is a double hill grave near the town of Kaesong in North Korea for Gongmin Wang (1330-1374) and his first wife Indeok. It is listed as number 123 on the List of National Treasures of North Korea and is part of the World Heritage Site of Historic Monuments and Sites of Kaesŏng .
location
The tomb is located in Haeson-ri in the district of Kaep'ung-gun , which borders the city of Kaesŏng to the west, in the province of Hwanghae-pukto . It is located about 6 kilometers west of the old royal palace Manwoldae on the southern slope of a mountain range. About 3 km east of the tomb of King Gongmin is the tomb of King Wang Geon .
history
Gongmin Wang was the 31st King of the Kingdom of Goryeo from the Goryeo Dynasty from 1351 until his death in 1374 . He released Goryeo from dependence on the Yuan Dynasty and carried out far-reaching reforms, including the reintroduction of Buddhism and land and land ownership reform. He was the last independent king of the Goryeo dynasty. After him, three more shadow kings followed under the supremacy of generals, until General Yi Song-gye made himself king in 1392, thus establishing the Joseon dynasty .
When Gongmin Wang's first wife Indeok, a Mongolian princess and descendant of Kublai Khan , died in 1365, the king had a tomb built for her, in which he himself later wanted to be buried. He chose a construction method that was new for Goryeo with two grave mounds lying next to each other . Former kings of Goryeo and their wives were buried either in the same burial chamber under a burial mound or in different places. This double grave construction was adopted several times by the subsequent Joseon dynasty. The construction of the double grave lasted until 1372.
In 1905 the Japanese blew up the back of the tomb and robbed the burial chamber. An excavation of the tomb was carried out in 1952.
description
.jpg)
The complex is divided into terraces that are connected by stairs. The area is surrounded by forest that stretches up the mountainside.
A T-shaped shrine for ceremonies stands on the right on a 40 meter long and 50 meter wide grassy area. From there a staircase leads in several sections to the tomb, which is about 12 meters higher and consists of three terraces. On the sides of the two lower terraces, which are connected by a staircase in the middle, there are large stone figures of civil and military officials. Two stairs lead up to the top terrace, each with a stone lantern.
On the upper terrace there are two grave mounds lying next to each other . King Gongmin Wang is buried in the western burial mound, his wife Indeok in the eastern one. The burial mounds are grassy mounds about 6 meters high and about 14 meters in diameter. They are set on the sides by 12 stone slabs each with relief depictions of the zodiac symbols, which are arranged in such a way that the two dodecagons formed by them meet with a point. The grave mounds are surrounded by a stone railing that runs parallel to the stone slabs. Eight stone animal figures stand around each of the burial mounds, alternating between tigers and sheep. In front of each of the grave mounds there is a stone table, next to it on the edge of the terrace a stone column.
Gongmin Wang's burial chamber measures about 3 × 3 meters and is about 2.30 meters high. A long corridor leads to the entrance on the south side of the burial chamber. The east, west and north walls are plastered with lime and painted with four zodiac figures each. The flat ceiling is painted with a sky pattern. The painting is said to have been carried out by the artistically gifted king himself.
World Heritage
The tomb of King Gongmin was included in the World Heritage Site as part of the Kaesŏng World Heritage Site , based on a decision of the 37th session of the World Heritage Committee . The protected area surrounding the tomb has an area of 51.6 hectares . It extends to the Acha mountain opposite the tomb.
Terrace with a shrine
Burial mound
Stone structures and animal figures
Balustrade relief
.jpg)
.jpg)
.jpg)
.jpg)
literature
- Democratic People's Republic of Korea (Ed.): NOMINATION of THE HISTORIC MONUMENTS AND SITES IN KAESONG for Inscription on the World Heritage List . 2013, p. 104–114, 140 (English, whc.unesco.org [PDF; 18.9 MB ] nomination letter).
Web links
Individual evidence
- ↑ a b c nomination p. 107
- ↑ a b c d nomination document p. 106
- ↑ Nominations p. 140
- ↑ Decision: 37 COM 8B.30. In: whc.unesco.org. UNESCO World Heritage Center, 2013, accessed July 4, 2020 .
- ↑ Nomination letter p. 17
Coordinates: 37 ° 58 ′ 57 " N , 126 ° 28 ′ 23.6" E
