Tomb of King Sinmun, Gyeongju

This is the tomb of King Sinmun (r. 681–692), the 31st ruler of Silla. The son of King Munmu, he suppressed a rebellion of the nobility and thereby firmly established the absolute royal authority of Silla's mid-period. He founded Gukhak, the national educational institution, set up the nine-province, five-secondary-capital system for local administration, and completed the Nine Seodang, a central military organisation incorporating people from Goguryeo, Baekje and the Malgal, reorganising both central and local political institutions to consolidate absolute royal power. The tomb is a round earthen mound 7.6 m high and 29.3 m in diameter. The border stones are shaped like bricks and stacked in five tiers, with 44 triangular support stones bracing them firmly. According to the Samguk sagi, King Sinmun was buried east of Nangsan Mountain; on this basis, some identify the collapsed royal tomb below the Hwangboksa temple site east of Nangsan Mountain, where twelve zodiac guardian figures survive, as King Sinmun's true tomb. Note: the name was changed from Silla Sinmun-wangneung to Gyeongju Sinmun-wangneung by notice dated 28 July 2011.

AI Translation

Where it is

Region

Gyeongju, Gyeongbuk

Designation

Historic Site · 사적