The Ahobiryong Mountains is a mountain range stretching from north to south in central

North Korea North Korea, officially the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK), is a country in East Asia. It constitutes the northern half of the Korea, Korean Peninsula and shares borders with China and Russia to the north, at the Yalu River, Y ...

. The range straddles the border between

North Hwanghae North Hwanghae Province (Hwanghaebuk-to; , lit. "north Yellow Sea province") is a province of North Korea. The province was formed in 1954 when the former Hwanghae Province was split into North and South Hwanghae. The provincial capital is Sari ...

and Kangwon provinces. The most famous part of the range is located near

Kaesong Kaesong (, ) is a special city in the southern part of North Korea (formerly in North Hwanghae Province), and the capital of Korea during the Taebong kingdom and subsequent Goryeo dynasty. The city is near the Kaesong Industrial Region close t ...

, the ancient capital of the Koryo dynasty, located in North Hwanghae.

Etymology

The name "Ahobiryong" means "Tiger Leaping Peak" in Korean.

Historical and tourism significance

This region is a tourist attraction, and the valley between Mts. Chonma (天摩山) and Songgo (聖居山) is home to the Pakyon Falls,which is considered as one of the three famous falls of Korea, as well as the Koryo-era

Taehungsan Fortress Taehung Castle is a mountain fortress of the early Goryeo period, located outside Kaesŏng, North Hwanghae Province, North Korea. Originally encompassing both Mts. Chŏnma and Songgo, the castle was first founded as a fortress for the defense ...

, which in turn encompasses two ancient Buddhist temples ( Kwanumsa and

Taehungsa Daeheungsa, sometimes called Daedunsa, is a main temple of the Jogye Order of Korean Buddhism. Daeheungsa is located on the slopes of Duryunsan (Duryun Mountain) in Samsan Township, Haenam County, in the province of Jeollanam-do near the sout ...

). The

Ryongtongsa Ryeongtongsa is a Korean Buddhist temple located on Ogwansan in Kaesong, North Korea. History Founded by the Cheontae sect of Buddhism in 1027, the temple is believed to be one of the first of the sect's temples in Korea. Destroyed by a fire in ...

Buddhist temple, which was the origin place of the Chontae sect, is also located in the mountains at the foot of Mt. Ogwan (五關山). It was once a place of pilgrimage, as it contained the ashes of Uichon, founder of the Chontae sect, but burned down in the 17th century. It was reconstructed between 2001–05 as an inter-Korean project.

References

Mountain ranges of North Korea North Hwanghae Kaesong {{NorthKorea-geo-stub