Donggureung Tomb in South Korea

Donggureung Tomb in South Korea is a cluster of tombs representing the best sample of royal family group tombs from the Joseon Dynasty. Seven kings and ten queens are buried here in nine Neung-type tombs. The Royal Tombs of the Joseon Dynasty refers to a group of tombs for the Joseon royalty which have been acknowledged by the South Korean government as a tentative UNESCO World Heritage site since January, 16, 2006.

Features of Donggureung Tomb in South Korea

  -   Donggureung Tomb is located in a large forest area.
  -   There are nine royal mausoleums and seventeen graves in total.
  -   This cluster of tombs occupies a larger area compared to other tombs in Korea. The surrounding forest enhances the serene charm of the place.
  -   The nine royal mausoleums include Joseon Dynasty's founding King Taejo (reign 1335-1408) tomb which is called Geonwonneung tomb.
  -   The tomb also holds the remains of his wives Queen Hyohyeon and Queen Hyojeong.
  -   This cluster of tombs represents beautifully the evolution of Joseon-style tomb architecture over a period of five hundred years.
  -   Joseon era royal tombs followed the guidelines outlined in Chinese Confucian texts like the Book of Rites and the Rites of Zhou.
  -   Many factors used to be considered when deciding the location of a tomb like the distance from Hanyang, the distance in relation to other royal tombs, the accessibility of the location and Korean traditions of geomancy.
  -   The tomb construction also took into consideration traditional burial rituals of Korea and the natural environment.
  -   Thick forests cover the mausoleums and there are trail walks between the graves.
  -   You can take long leisurely walks here.
  -   An especially famous part of the Donggureung Tomb area is the historically significant purple eulalia reeds growing there.
  -   The long reeds are said to have been transplanted from King Taejo's hometown of Hamgeung.
  -   It carries with it 600 years of fascinating Joseon History within it.