Koguryo Tombs - North Korea

The Complex of Koguryo Tombs was the 1st North Korean site to be classified as World Heritage Site. 

 

The property includes several group and individual tombs - totalling about 30 individual tombs - from the later period of the Koguryo Kingdom, one of the strongest kingdoms in nowadays northeast China and half of the Korean peninsula between the 3rd century BC to 7th century AD. The tombs, many with beautiful wall paintings, are almost the only remains of this culture. Only about 90 out of more than 10,000 Koguryo tombs discovered in China and Korea so far, have wall paintings. Almost half of these tombs are located on this site and they are thought to have been made for the burial of kings, members of the royal family and the aristocracy. These paintings offer a unique testimony to daily life of this period. - in: https://whc.unesco.org

 

Anak Tomb No. 3 is a chamber tomb of Goguryeo located in Anak, South Hwanghae.
This is one of few Goguryeo tombs that have epitaphs so that their dates can be determined. Its seven-lined epitaph contains the date 357, the personal name Dong Shou (冬壽), his title, his birthplace and his age at death.
The Anak Tomb No. 3 is the host to multiple famous mural paintings, each giving a greater insight to the life and hierarchy of the Goguryeo people. It contains two portraits, one on the front wall of the west side chamber and one on the southern wall, portraying a man and a woman, respectively. Scholars have disputed the owner of this tomb and thus the identity of people portrayed in these murals; because of the epitaph, many believe that the images depict Dong Shou, a refugee from Former Yan, and his wife, while others believe that the person depicted was the Goguryeo king, King Gogukwon. - in: wikipedia

Kaesong - North Korea

Today I've something new and new. Cards from new unesco sites and a new country. Before getting these cards, I think I've never seen cards from North Korea before. This gives rare a new meaning!! I'm so grateful to Johnson for swapping with me. The card were sent from Hong Kong.

North Korea has 2 sites classified as UNESCO World Heritage. Let me start with the Historic Monuments and Sites in Kaesong, a city in the south of the country. 

 

The site consists of 12 separate components, which together testify to the history and culture of the Koryo Dynasty from the 10th to 14th centuries. The geomantic layout of the former capital city of Kaesong, its palaces, institutions and tomb complex, defensive walls and gates embody the political, cultural, philosophical and spiritual values of a crucial era in the region’s history.  The monuments inscribed also include an astronomical and meteorological observatory, two schools (including one dedicated to educating national officials) and commemorative steles. The site testifies to the transition from Buddhism to neo-Confucianism in East Asia and to the assimilation of the cultural spiritual and political values of the states that existed prior to Korea’s unification under the Koryo Dynasty. The integration of Buddhist, Confucian, Taoist and geomantic concepts is manifest in the planning of the site and the architecture of its monuments. - in: https://whc.unesco.org

The Kaesong Namdaemun, also known as the South Gate, is one of the historic treasures of Kaesong, an ancient city that was once the capital of the Koryo Dynasty which reigned from the 10th to the 14th century. This gate is part of the old city walls that protected Kaesong and is a fine example of the traditional Korean architecture of the period. Its significance is not only historical but also cultural, as it reflects the sophisticated defensive construction techniques of that era. Throughout the centuries, Kaesong Namdaemun has stood as a silent witness to the turbulent history of the Korean Peninsula, surviving various conflicts and occupations.  - in: https://travelsetu.com