World Heritage List
The Complex of
Goguryeo Tombs lies in North Korea. In July
2004 it became the first
UNESCO World Heritage site in the
country. The site consists of 63 individual tombs from the later Goguryeo kingdom, one of
Three Kingdoms of Korea,
located in the cities of P'yongyang and Namp'o. Goguryeo was one of
the strongest kingdoms in the north east of China and the Korean Peninsula
between the 5th and 7th centuries AD. The kingdom was founded in the present day
area of Northern Korea, Northeastern China, and part of Manchuria around 32 BC,
and the capital was transferred to P'yongyang in AD 427.
Many of the tombs, such
as the Anak Tomb No. 3, have
beautiful wall paintings. The tombs are almost all that remains from this
culture. There are
over 10,000 Goguryeo tombs overall, but only about 90 of those unearthed in
China and Korea so far 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 murals are strongly coloured
and show daily life and Korean mythologies of the
time. By 2005, 70 murals had been found, mostly in the Taedong river basin near
Pyongyang, the Anak area in South Hwanghae province, and in
Ji'an in China's Jilin
period.
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