Gyeongju Historic Areas | World Heritage Explorer

World Heritage Identification Number: 976

World Heritage since: 2000

Category: Cultural Heritage

Transboundary Heritage: No

Endangered Heritage: No

Country: 🇰🇷 Republic of Korea

Continent: Asia

UNESCO World Region: Asia and the Pacific

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Unraveling the Rich History of Gyeongju Historic Areas

The Gyeongju Historic Areas, nestled within the heart of Gyeongju, South Korea, serve as a testament to the flourishing of the Silla Kingdom (57 BC – 935 AD). This UNESCO World Heritage Site, designated in 2000, offers a rich tapestry of Korean Buddhist art, showcasing an exceptional collection of sculptures, reliefs, pagodas, and temple and palace ruins.

More to come…

UNESCO Description of the World Heritage Site

The Gyeongju Historic Areas contain a remarkable concentration of outstanding examples of Korean Buddhist art, in the form of sculptures, reliefs, pagodas, and the remains of temples and palaces from the flowering, in particular between the 7th and 10th centuries, of this form of unique artistic expression.

UNESCO Justification of the World Heritage Site

Criterion (ii) The Gyeongju Historic Areas contain a number of sites and monuments of exceptional significance in the development of Buddhist and secular architecture in Korea. Criterion (iii) The Korean peninsula was ruled for nearly a thousand years by the Silla dynasty, and the sites and monuments in and around Gyeongju (including the holy mountain of Namsan) bear outstanding testimony to its cultural achievements.

Encyclopedia Record: Gyeongju Historic Areas

Gyeongju Historic Areas is a World Heritage Site in Gyeongju, South Korea that was designated by UNESCO in 2000. The protected areas encompass the ruins of temples and palaces, outdoor pagodas and statuary, and other cultural artifacts left by the Koreanic kingdom Silla.

Additional Site Details

Area: 2,880 hectares

UNESCO Criteria: (ii) — Significant interchange of human values
(iii) — Unique or exceptional testimony to a cultural tradition

Coordinates: 35.78889 , 129.22667

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Nearby World Heritage Sites

Seokguram Grotto and Bulguksa Temple
11 km — Republic of Korea

Petroglyphs along the Bangucheon Stream
21 km — Republic of Korea

Gaya Tumuli
69 km — Republic of Korea

Haeinsa Temple Janggyeong Panjeon, the Depositories for the Tripitaka Koreana Woodblocks
102 km — Republic of Korea

Historic Villages of Korea: Hahoe and Yangdong
105 km — Republic of Korea

Country Information: Republic of Korea

Official Name: Republic of Korea

Capital: Seoul

Continent: Asia

Population (2024): 51,751,065

Population (2023): 51,712,619

Population (2022): 51,672,569

Land Area: 97,600 sq km

Currency: South Korean won (KRW)

Country Data Sources

Links

UNESCO World Heritage Centre: Gyeongju Historic Areas
Wikipedia: Gyeongju Historic Areas

Portions of the page Gyeongju Historic Areas are based on data from UNESCO — World Heritage List Dataset and on text from the Wikipedia article Gyeongju Historic Areas, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0. Changes made. Additional original content by World Heritage Explorer (WHE), licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0. WHE is not affiliated with UNESCO or the World Heritage Committee. Legal Notice. Privacy Policy.