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Namsan (남산, "South Mountain") is a 494-meter peak in the heart of
Image:Korea-Gyeongju-Namsan-01.jpg,
Image:Korea-Gyeongju-Namsan-02.jpg
Image:Korea_south_silla_pagoda.jpg, Stone pagoda on Namsan
Image:Korea_south_silla_stone_buddha.jpg, Buddha relief carved into stone on Namsan near Gyeongju
Namsan (남산, "South Mountain") is a 494-meter peak in the heart of Gyeongju National Park
Gyeongju National Park ( ko, 경주국립공원, 慶州國立公園) is located in the province of Gyeongsangbuk-do, South Korea, and is the country's only historical national park. It was first designated a national park in 1968. The park cove ...
, just south of Gyeongju
Gyeongju ( ko, 경주, ), historically known as ''Seorabeol'' ( ko, 서라벌, ), is a coastal city in the far southeastern corner of North Gyeongsang Province in South Korea. It is the second largest city by area in the province after Andong, ...
, South Korea
South Korea, officially the Republic of Korea (ROK), is a country in East Asia, constituting the southern part of the Korea, Korean Peninsula and sharing a Korean Demilitarized Zone, land border with North Korea. Its western border is formed ...
. The mountain is within easy reach from the city and attracts a large number of national tourists. Namsan covers an area of about 8 km (north-south) by 12 km (east-west). Some 180 peaks are counted, of which Geumobong (468 m) and Gouibong (495 m) are the best-known. There are about 40 valleys.
Cultural remains
Namsan is home to many historic and cultural remains, and is now part of the historic area around Gyeongju that was added to theUNESCO
The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization is a specialized agency of the United Nations (UN) aimed at promoting world peace and security through international cooperation in education, arts, sciences and culture. It ...
list of World Heritage
A World Heritage Site is a landmark or area with legal protection by an international convention administered by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO). World Heritage Sites are designated by UNESCO for h ...
in 2000.
Namsan is home to many remains from the Silla
Silla or Shilla (57 BCE – 935 CE) ( , Old Korean: Syera, Old Japanese: Siraki2) was a Korean kingdom located on the southern and central parts of the Korean Peninsula. Silla, along with Baekje and Goguryeo, formed the Three Kingdoms of K ...
period, including some tombs of Silla rulers. There are hundreds of remains scattered around the mountain. Poseokjeong
The Poseokjeong (Pavilion of Stone Abalone) site near Namsan in Gyeongju, Gyeongsangbuk-do South Korea, was built in the Unified Silla period. The site once featured a royal pavilion — said to have been the most beautiful royal villa of the ti ...
is one of the most famous of these sites, lying at the foot of Namsan. Other remains include Korean Buddhist
Korean Buddhism is distinguished from other forms of Buddhism by its attempt to resolve what its early practitioners saw as inconsistencies within the Mahayana Buddhist traditions that they received from foreign countries. To address this, the ...
art, sculptures, about 80 carved reliefs, about 60 stone pagoda
A pagoda is an Asian tiered tower with multiple eaves common to Nepal, India, China, Japan, Korea, Myanmar, Vietnam, and other parts of Asia. Most pagodas were built to have a religious function, most often Buddhist but sometimes Taoist, ...
s and remains of about 100 temple
A temple (from the Latin ) is a building reserved for spiritual rituals and activities such as prayer and sacrifice. Religions which erect temples include Christianity (whose temples are typically called churches), Hinduism (whose temples ...
s and palace
A palace is a grand residence, especially a royal residence, or the home of a head of state or some other high-ranking dignitary, such as a bishop or archbishop. The word is derived from the Latin name palātium, for Palatine Hill in Rome which ...
s mostly built between the 7th and 10th century. 12 of these relicts are designated national treasures.
The concentration of remains is particularly high at the foothills west of Namsan. The remains are thought to reflect the rise and fall of the Silla kingdom. Najeong Well is the mystic birthplace of King Park Hyeokgeose, founder of the Silla dynasty. Only a small stone with inscriptions remains of this site. According to legend, one day in 69 BC Seobeol—chieftain of Goheo village—spotted a white horse kneeling by Najeong well. When approaching the site to take a closer look, the horse disappeared, but he found an egg
An egg is an organic vessel grown by an animal to carry a possibly fertilized egg cell (a zygote) and to incubate from it an embryo within the egg until the embryo has become an animal fetus that can survive on its own, at which point the a ...
. From the egg hatched a boy who was chosen to become king at the age of 13.
The Yangsanjae shrine was built in honour of a founder who lived in Seorabeol
Gyeongju ( ko, 경주, ), historically known as ''Seorabeol'' ( ko, 서라벌, ), is a coastal city in the far southeastern corner of North Gyeongsang Province in South Korea. It is the second largest city by area in the province after Andong, ...
before the Silla kingdom was established. A famous site is the three stone Buddha statue of Bae-ri. The site features three Buddha figures carved into stone. More recently, a roof was erected to protect the statues.
The sitting stone statue of Buddha in the Mireuk valley, the sitting image of Bodhisattva carved into a stone wall at Sinseonam are two of the designated national treasures. In addition, there are sites of local significance, such as the sitting figure of Sakyamuni carved on a rock in Samneung Valley. This figure is about 7 metres high and about 5 metres wide. It is the biggest sitting statue at Namsam.
Cheongwansa is a historic temple.
Gallery
Nature
Namsan is not only known for the Silla remains, but also appreciated by visitors for its natural environment.See also
*List of mountains in Korea
The following is a list of mountains in Korea:
List of mountains in North Korea Pyeongyang
* Taesongsan (대성산; ) –
Chagang Province
* Namsan (남산; ) –
* Obongsan (오봉산; ) –
North Pyongan Province
* Myohyangsan (묘향 ...
References