Tomb of King Wonseong, Gyeongju

Basic information

Designation

Historic Site No.26

Category

유적지

Era

통일신라시대

Designated year

1963

Location

경주시, 경상북도— 경북 경주시 외동읍 괘능리 산17번지

Coordinates

35.759664, 129.320216

Presumed to be the tomb of King Wonseong (785-798), the 38th king of the Silla Dynasty, Gwaereung is widely known as a suspended tomb because legend has it that there was once a pond here over which the king's body was suspended. The stone plates of the retaining wall are sculptured with the 12 images of the Oriental zodiac. The tomb is surrounded by stone pillars, and there is also a stone table. To the south of the mound are two pairs of stone lions, civilian guards, and military guards facing each other. In front of them are two stone pillars. Many consider this to be the best among the royal tombs built in the Silla Dynasty. Representative of the Unified Silla (668-935) tombs, the construction of Gwaereung was influenced by cultural exchanges with the Tang Dynasty as evidenced by the Arabian-looking military figure. The highly innovative spirit and artistic skills of the Silla people are mirrored in the 12 lively zodiac images and the powerfully executed sculptures on various stone artifacts from the tomb.

Location