Southeastern Area |
A:Admission Fee C:Closing Day H:Hours L:Location T:Transportation |
Dumulli Park (Tel:(054)772-6317), a collection of royal Silla tombs from the Pre-Unification Era, is
in the middle of Gyeongju. The park contains 20 of the more than 200 royal tombs to be found in
Gyeongju. The Cheonmachong(Flying Horse Tomb) was excavated in 1974 and yielded more than
10,000 treasures. These treasures, including a golden crown and girdle, are in the
Gyeongju National
Museum. The tomb itself is open for viewing, providing visitors with an opportunity to see how the
huge tombs |
Cheomseongdae Observatory (Tel: (054)772-5134), the world's earliest known existing
observatory, is a 7th century bottleshaped stone structure admired by archeologists worldwide. The
square window facing south in the middle of the structure is believed to have served as on entrance,
and was probably reached by a ladder. |
Located the minutes' walk from Cheomseongdae is Anapji Pond (Tel:(054)772-4041), where the
Silla royal family relaxed and enjoyed themselves. The pond was temporarily drained in 1974 to
reveal a veritable treasure trove of Silla artifacts which are now on display in the Gyeongju National
Museum. |
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East of Gyeongju is
Bomun Lake Resort , opened in 1978 by the Korea National Tourism
Organization. This major tourist complex has five super deluxe hotels, a convention center, a
casino, extensive shopping and dining facilities, a golf course, tennis courts, pleasure boats,
swimming pools and even a hotel school. Shuttle bus and taxi service connect downtown Gyeongju
with the resort area. |
Other attractions are scattered around the edges of Gyeongju: tombs of kings and generals, many decorated with zodiac figures or interesting steles, former palaces, ponds and pleasure pavilions of the Silla royalty, and Buddhist images. |
were constructed and how the various items were arranged in them. Visitors to this
area should be sure to take the time for a peaceful
stroll in this serene park.
Bulguksa Temple (Tel:(054)746-9913), on the
southern outskirts of Gyeongju, is one of Korea's
best known temples, a monument to both the skill
of Silla architects and the depth of Buddhist faith
at the time. While most of the wooden buildings
have been rebuilt over the centuries, all the stone
bridges, stairways and pagodas are original. The
temple, originally built in A.D. 535. was enlarged in
A.D.751. Today the temple's form is as beautiful
and charming as ever.
Dating back to the same era, Seokguram Grotto
(Tel:(054)746-9933) is one of Asia's finest Buddha shrines.
Surrounded by Bodhisattvas and guardian deities, the serene
central statue of Buddha gazes out over the forested hills and
across the East Sea to the horizon. The building of the granite
dome of Seokguram was a truly amazing architectural feat. 