Gyeongju City and its surroundings have inherited traces of the glory that flowered and withered in the ancient Silla Kingdom (57 B.C.-A.D.935). The centre of the town and its suburbs contain many royal burial mounds and Buddhist remains that preserve this apogee of art and culture. Excavations continue to reveal the buried secrets of this enchanted city.

The ruins of Wolseong, the Half Moon Palace, the many temple and fortress sites, including Hwangnryongsa, the Temple of the Yellow Dragon, huge royal mounds, and ancient wells and bridges have provided a wealth of archaeological data and will continue to do so. The legends of the Gyeongju Kim clan, the family that ruled throughout most of the Silla Kingdom, are located in the serene woods of Gyerim. Cheomseongdae is the most exquisite example of an astronomical observatory in the Orient.


The Gyeongju Historic Areas may be considered to be an outdoor museum housing many cultural properties centered on Mount Namsan and its surroundings. The craftsmen of the Silla Kingdom worked stone and wood with spontaneity and great artistry.

The cultural properties of the area date mainly from the 6th to the 10th centuries, and demonstrate the quintessence of the Silla art in the statues and reliefs of Buddha, the temple sites, and the royal and other tumuli.

The city itself is adorned with many roadside parks, spacious and well-tended historic sites, and a lakeside resort, all of which combine to make it an attractive urban landscape.