King Wang Geon's tomb
The tomb of King Wang Geon , also called Hyŏllŭng / Hyeolleung ( 현릉 / 顯 陵 ), is a burial mound near the city of Kaesŏng in North Korea for Wang Geon (877–943), the first king and founder of the kingdom of Goryeo and the Goryeo Dynasty . It is listed as number 179 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 3 kilometers west of the old Manwoldae Royal Palace on the southern slope of Mount Mansu. In the vicinity of the tomb of King Wang Geong there are two clusters with further tombs from the time of the Kingdom of Goryeo: the seven-graves cluster and the muongrung cluster. About 3 km to the west is the tomb of King Gongmin .
history
From 918 until his death in 943, Wang Geon was king of the kingdom of Goryeo, which he founded . After his death he was given the honorary name "Taejo" (great founder). The tomb for the king was erected about a month after his death. Since the king played a divine role as the founder of the empire, his remains were brought to safety during invasions in 1010, 1018, 1217 and 1231, while the remaining kings were left in their tombs.
Under the Goryeo Dynasty following Joseon Dynasty , whose founder also posthumously received the honorary title "Taejo", the tomb was further maintained and restored several times. During the Japanese rule in Korea , however, it was neglected, fell into disrepair and suffered illegal excavations. From 1967 to 1979 some of the outbuildings of the tomb were restored. The Archaeological Institute of the Academy of Social Sciences carried out an official excavation in 1992. The structure of the burial chamber and the wall paintings were examined. Among the discovered items was a gold sculpture of King Wang Geong. In 1994, the burial mound was enlarged and the stone structures surrounding the tomb and the memorial shrine were restored. The burial chamber and wall paintings were so well preserved that no work was required. Only the wall paintings were protected by glass.
description
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The grave complex is about 140 meters long and about 50 meters wide. The area is surrounded by forest that stretches up the mountainside.
A straight path leads from a gatehouse to a terrace with a T-shaped shrine for ceremonies on the left and two smaller pavilions with steles on the right. Stairs lead over three more terraces to the burial mound. Large stone figures of civil and military officials stand on the sides of the two lower terraces. There is a stone lantern in front of the stairs leading to the top terrace.
The burial mound on the top terrace is a grassy mound about 8 meters high and about 20 meters in diameter. At the side it is framed by 12 stone slabs with relief depictions of the zodiac symbols. It is also surrounded by a twelve-sided stone railing. Four stone tiger figures stand around the grave. In front of the burial mound there is a stone table with a stone column on each side.
The burial chamber under the burial mound is 3.18 × 3.45 meters and 2.20 meters high. The ceiling is formed by a single stone slab. The walls are plastered with lime and painted: on the east side with a blue dragon, an apricot tree and a bamboo, on the west side with a white dragon, a pine tree and an apricot tree, and on the north side, less well preserved, with a snake and a turtle. The entrance, to which a corridor around several corners leads, is on the south side of the burial chamber.
World Heritage
The king Wang Geon's grave was in 2013 following a decision by the 37th session of the World Heritage Committee as part of the World Heritage Historic Monuments and sites of Kaesong in the World Heritage added. The protected area surrounding the tomb has an area of 214.6 hectares . In addition to the grave of King Wang Geon, there are ten other tumuli: seven in the seven-grave cluster (12th-14th century, location) and three in the Myongrung cluster (mid-14th century, location).
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. 74-81, 138 f . (English, whc.unesco.org [PDF; 18.9 MB ] nomination letter).
Web links
Individual evidence
- ↑ Nominations p. 138
- ↑ Nominations p. 138f
- ↑ Nominations p. 76f
- ↑ Nominations p. 76
- ↑ Decision: 37 COM 8B.30. In: whc.unesco.org. UNESCO World Heritage Center, 2013, accessed July 4, 2020 .
- ↑ Nomination letter p. 17
Coordinates: 37 ° 59 ′ 8.9 ″ N , 126 ° 30 ′ 19.7 ″ E
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