rebirth of gyeongju

Gyeongju was the capital of the Silla Dynasty, the kingdom that eventually unified the Korean Peninsula. The dynasty began in 57 B.C.E with a man who supposedly hatched from a golden egg and ended with a drunk king who gave up his throne to a Buddhist monk turned general in 935 C.E. For over a thousand years, this city was the capital.

Today, it is known as a museum without walls. Ancient relics, tombs, pagodas, and foundations of palaces and temples can be found standing in the same place they stood for the past thousand, two thousand years. Sadly, many of these historically significant buildings remain in their decrepit state. Only a few have been brought back to their former glory. Two sites have been designated as UNESCO significant but there are many more sites that I know can be added if only they were restored.

Fortunately, there has been a lot of talk about reviving the city with a lot of money being set aside for the reconstruction of this city. They are now pushing to make their city a world-renowned tourist attraction not only through their history but through impressive structures and landmarks that once stood there.

A park with tombs of unknown royalty. It's amazing that people freely walk amongst it. (It would probably be looted if it were back at home in California.)

Bulguksa (Temple of the Buddhist Lands) one of the sites that has been designated as a part of the UNESCO World Heritage. This temple was first built in 751 and reconstructed many times afterwards. The stonework are all originals from the first time it was built. The two stone pagodas inside are also originals from the 700's. An amazing place to visit.

Seokguram, an artificial grotto with sculptures of Buddhist figures. It is a part of the Bulguksa Complex and was built at the same time as the temple. One of the finest pieces of Buddhist art one will find in the world.

Anapchi (Pond of Ducks and Geese) is a complex where royalty would hold banquets. (e.g. get drunk) There were a total of 26 buildings but only 3 remain. They are in talks about rebuilding more but we'll see if they actually do it. Still a pretty neat and relaxing place to spend an afternoon at.

This is one of the pagodas they will be reconstructing soon. This belongs to Hwangryongsa (Temple of the Imperial Dragon) which was razed back in the 1200's by the Mongols. This was the biggest pagoda in East Asia at the time. It will definitely be a sight to see once it is completed in 2035. The rest of the complex will be built after the pagoda. I've heard that Buddhist monks are leaping for joy!

Woljeonggyo (Moon Bridge) This is a 216 feet long bridge that once connected Anapchi (the pond from above) to the main palace. It's twin Iljeonggyo (Sun Bridge) will be built right after this one is finished. I saw a scaled down version of this at the pond and I was quite impressed.