Overview
The property includes several group and individual tombs - totalling about 30 individual tombs - from the later period of the Koguryo Kingdom, one of the strongest kingdoms in nowadays northeast China and half of the Korean peninsula between the 3rd century BC to 7th century AD. The tombs, many with beautiful wall paintings, are almost the only remains of this culture. Only about 90 out of more than 10,000 Koguryo tombs discovered in China and Korea so far, have wall paintings. Almost half of these tombs are located on this site and they are thought to have been made for the burial of kings, members of the royal family and the aristocracy. These paintings offer a unique testimony to daily life of this period.
About Kangso Three Tombs
The Kangso Three Tombs (Korean: 강서세무덤) are mausoleums located in Kangso-guyok, North Korea. They are part of the Complex of Koguryo Tombs, a UNESCO World Heritage site, a National Treasure of North Korea #28. The large tomb is 50 metres long and 8.7 metres high, the middle tomb is 45 metres long and 7.8 metres high and the small one is 40 metres long and 6.75 metres high. Frescoes inside the tombs depict four tutelary deities. The large tomb holds depictions of a blue dragon and a black serpent-tortoise, while a white tiger and a red phoenix are depicted in the middle tomb. The frescoes are particularly colourful and show Koguryo aristocratic life in detail, including dancing, wrestling and hunting. The Kangso Three Tombs were unearthed in 1911 by Japanese archaeologist Imanishi Ryū and were extensively studied.
Read more on WikipediaSelection Criteria
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Details
- Countries
- Democratic People's Republic of Korea
- ISO Codes
- KP
- Coordinates
- 38.9647, 125.4250
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Kangso Three Tombs
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Kangso Three Tombs