Goguryeo tombs
Sign in to saveAlso known as Koguryo tombs, complex of Goguryeo tombs
building complex in North Korea
Key facts
- Official name
- Complex of Koguryo Tombs
- Location
- South Pyongan Province , South Hwanghae Province , North Korea
- Includes
- Tomb of King Tongmyong Jinpha-ri group of tombs Nos. 1 4 Homam-ri Sasin (Four Deities) Tomb Tokhwa-ri Tombs Nos. 1 2 3 Kangso Three Tombs Tokhung-ri Tomb Yaksu-ri Tomb Susan-ri Tomb Ryonggang Great Tomb Twin-Column Tomb Anak Tombs Nos. 1 2 3
- Criteria
- Cultural: (i), (ii), (iii), (iv)
- Inscription
- 2004 (28th Session )
- Area
- 232.9 ha (0.899 sq mi)
- Buffer zone
- 1,701.2 ha (6.568 sq mi)
via Wikipedia infobox
Wikidata facts
- Instance of
- archaeological site
- Country
- North Korea
- Located in
- South Hwanghae Province
- Area
- 1701.2
- Image
- Goguryeo tomb mural.jpg
- Has parts of class
- grave
Show 3 more facts
- Commons category
- Complex of Koguryo tombs
- heritage designation
- World Heritage Site
- McCune–Reischauer romanization
- Koguryŏ kobun'gun
Sources (2)
via Wikidata · CC0
~3 min read
Encyclopedic overview
Goguryeo tombs, officially designated as the Complex of Koguryo Tombs (Korean: 고구려 고분군), are tombs in North Korea. In July 2004, they became the first UNESCO World Heritage site in the country. The site consists of 30 individual tombs from the later Goguryeo kingdom, one of Three Kingdoms of Korea, located in the cities of P'yŏngyang and Namp'o. Goguryeo was one of the strongest ancient Korean kingdoms located in the northern and central parts of the Korean Peninsula and the southern and central parts of Manchuria. The kingdom was founded in the present day area of North Korea, and part of Manchuria around 37 BCE, and the capital was transferred to P'yŏngyang in 427 CE.
Many of the tombs, such as the Anak Tomb No. 3, have wall paintings. The tombs are almost all of the Goguryeo culture that survives. There are over 10,000 Goguryeo tombs overall, but only about 90 of those unearthed in China and Korea have wall paintings. The Complex of Goguryeo Tombs inscribed on the World Heritage List contains the majority of these tombs with wall paintings. It is thought that the complex was used as a burial site for kings, queens and other members of the royal family. The paintings found on the tombs offer a unique insight into the everyday life of the Goguryeo period. The group includes the Tomb of King Tongmyong.
Excerpted from Wikipedia’s “Goguryeo tombs” article, available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 licence.