Gyeongju [ 경주 ] being the capital of the kingdom of Silla [ 신라 ], a kingdom which was ruled by 56 kings over a period of 992 years, thus having a rich background of historical information and also lots of historical treasures and historical sites for tourists' exploration.
The many major historical sites have helped Gyeongju [ 경주 ] become one of the most popular tourist destinations in South Korea.
As I reached Gyeongju [ 경주 ] only in the late afternoon, Jamie and I quickly check-in at the guesthouse, had a short rest and decide to head out, as we hoped to make the full use of the limited time that we had.
The first place that we went was Gyeongju National Museum [ 국립경주박물관 ] as museum closed rather early ( 5pm ) during winter.
Gyeongju National Museum [ 국립경주박물관 ], a place steeped in history and a place where allows you to view and understand the cultural history of Gyeongju [ 경주 ] or rather the kingdom of Silla [ 신라 ].
There are a few exhibition halls, from the different stages of the kingdom of the Silla [ 신라 ], thus you are able to see the progress of the techniques of the different crafts such as the pottery, tiles made for the temples, jewelry, the weapons, etc.
Entrance of the Gyeongju National Museum
Potsherds With Face Pattern
Arrowheads
Crystals for the necklaces
Duck-shaped pottery
Golden ornaments
Helmet for the soldier
Stone Zodiacal Figure ( Monkey )
Golden Belt For The Royalties
Golden Crown From The Kingdom Of Silla
Roof Tile With Dragon Mask Design
Carvings On A Piece Of Stone
Portrait Of King Gyeongsun
There are about 25 000 to 30 000 items on display in the indoor exhibition hall and there are some display that are too large for the indoor area, thus they are being placed on the outside of the museum, and the area is also known as the outdoor exhibition area.
Dabo-tap ( Seven-Treasure Stupa in Front Of Sakyamuni Buddha )
Seokga-tap ( Stupa of Sakyamuni Buddha Preaching on Vulture Peak )
Carvings On A Piece Of Rock
Parts Of Stupa With Guardian King
Sacred Bell Of King Seongdeok
( The bell is being listed as the National Treasure of Korea - Number 29 in the year of 1962, December 12 )
As the museum closed earlier during winter, so it was kinda of a rush trip for me. I kinda of rush through the indoor exhibition without having the time to look at the information and also the individual display carefully. There were also quite a few display at the outdoor exhibition area which I couldn't visit.
For me personally, I could easily spend about 2 hours just looking through the indoor exhibition, so I recommended you to have ample time before you visit the museum.
Extra Information on Gyeongju National Museum [ 국립경주박물관 ] :
Opening Hours :
9am - 6pm ( Mar - Oct )
9am - 5pm ( Nov - Feb )
9am - 7pm ( Every Saturday and Public Holiday )
9am - 9pm ( Every Saturday - Mar - Dec )
Admission : Free
( There is multilingual audio guide available at 3000won, but do not worry if you do not intend to rent the audio guide, as the information in the exhibition are available in English and Chinese language too ).
How to get to Gyeongju National Museum [ 국립경주박물관 ] :
There are a few buses to get to Gyeongju National Museum [ 국립경주박물관 ].
You can easily take buses 11, 600, 601, 603, 604, 605, 607, 608, or 609 from Gyeongju Bus Terminal or Gyeongju Train Station and get off at the museum.
After touring at Gyeongju National Museum [ 국립경주박물관 ], Jamie and I decided to drop by Anapji Pond [ 안압지 ] to catch the beautiful view before and after sunset.
We managed to reach Anapji Pond [ 안압지 ] before sunset and after taking a few photos, we waited for the sun to go down before second round of photo taking. The views before and after sunset were totally different but beautiful as well.
Anapji Pond [ 안압지 ] which was built under the order of King Munmu in the year of 674. It was built, with beautiful flowers planted and rare animals brought in to create a pleasure garden fit for the royalty. Anapji Pond [ 안압지 ] was designed such that one cannot view the entire pond at once. It was built as part of the Wolseung Fortress but only the pond and the garden was left after the Fortress was destroyed and the structures faded away.
Anapji Pond [ 안압지 ] was rebuilt in 1974 under the renovation project of historical sites in Gyeongju [ 경주 ], and almost 33 000 pieces of historical relics were excavated and these relics are now restored and on displayed in Gyeongju National Museum [ 국립경주박물관 ].
Anapji Pond [ 안압지 ] is famous for its magnificent view during the night after the lights had been turned on. However, I will recommended you to go for the view both in the day and in the night as the experiences are totally different. The same view can give you a totally different feeling during the day and during the night.
Extra Information on Anapji Pond [ 안압지 ] :
Opening Hours : 9am - 10pm
Admission Fee : 2000won
How to get to Anapji Pond [ 안압지 ] :
Take bus 11 from the bus stop across Gyeongju Express Bus Terminal and alight after 11 stops.
Having taken enough photos at Anapji Pond [ 안압지 ], we made our way to Cheomseongdae Observatory [ 경주 첨성대 ], which was also our final destination for the day. As it was considered closed to Anapji Pond [ 안압지 ], Jamie and I decided to walk to Cheomseongdae Observatory [ 경주 첨성대 ] instead.
After getting lost and shivering in the cold, we finally found our destination.
Cheomseongdae Observatory [ 경주 첨성대 ] was constructed under the reign of Queen Seondeok [ 선덕여왕 ] and is the oldest existing astronomical observatory in Asia. Cheomseongdae [ 첨성대 ] which also means star-gazing tower in Korean. It was used as a place to observe the stars so as to forecast the weather. Cheomseongdae [ 첨성대 ] was listed as the National Treasure of Korea - Number 31 in the year of 1962, December 20.
Cheomseongdae [ 첨성대 ] was built out of 362 pieces of cut granite and consists of 27 levels. It was rumored that the 362 pieces of cut granite represents to 362 days of the lunar calendar. However, there are some surveys of the sites claimed that there are actually 365 pieces of cut granite being used. The 27 levels of the observatory was associated with the fact that Queen Seondeok [ 선덕여왕 ] was the 27th ruler of the Kingdom of Silla [ 신라 ]. There are 12 levels below and above the window which represents the 12 months of a year.
Cheomseongdae [ 첨성대 ] is standing at 9.17m high and 5.7m wide at the base of the observatory. The observatory is filled with earth all the way all to the level of the window.
Although the design of Cheomseongdae [ 첨성대 ] is simple, but you will be amazed that a simple construction can be grand at the same time.
Will recommend you to drop by to view the magnificent sight of the Cheomseongdae [ 첨성대 ] during the night ( the light makes the observatory look grand and elegant ), but only if you are in the area. You are not allowed to enter into the observatory and the only thing that you can do is to take countless of photos of Cheomseongdae [ 첨성대 ]. So if you are only in Gyeongju [ 경주 ] for only a day, you can consider giving it a miss.
Extra information on Cheomseongdae [ 첨성대 ] :
Opening Hours :
9am - 10pm ( Summer )
9am - 9pm ( Winter )
Admission Fee :
Free
How to get to Cheomseongdae [ 첨성대 ] :
Take bus 10 or 11 or 70 from the bus stop across Gyeongju Express Bus Terminal and alight at Daereung-won Tumuli Park
Will update on more places that I visited in Gyeongju [ 경주 ] in the next post. Do look forward to it.
