Tomb of King Tongmyong
Encyclopedia
The Tomb of King Tongmyŏng is a mausoleum
located in near Ryongsan-ri, Ryŏkp'o-guyŏk
, P'yŏng'yang
, North Korea
. The tombs contain the remains of Tongmyŏng, the founder of the ancient Goguryeo
kingdom, northernmost of the Three Kingdoms of Korea
. The area around the tomb contains at least fifteen known tombs believed to belong to various vassal
lords, and the site has achieved World Heritage status as part of the Complex of Goguryeo Tombs
. The current tomb complex, however, is quite modern. Being the burial place of the founder of Goguryeo, an era of particular interest for the North Korean government, the ancient tomb was chosen for "restoration" in 1993, a process which entailed the complete removal of all original buildings, structures, and monuments in order to create a new, white marble tomb.
The complex also houses the rebuilt Chongrŭngsa Buddhist temple, where funeral services were held for the deceased monarch. The temple, whose foundations were excavated in 1974, was rebuilt to mark the 2,300th anniversary of Tongmyŏng's birth.
Mausoleum
A mausoleum is an external free-standing building constructed as a monument enclosing the interment space or burial chamber of a deceased person or persons. A monument without the interment is a cenotaph. A mausoleum may be considered a type of tomb or the tomb may be considered to be within the...
located in near Ryongsan-ri, Ryŏkp'o-guyŏk
Ryokpo-guyok
Ryŏkp'o-guyŏk, or Ryŏkp'o District is one of the 19 guyŏk that constitute Pyongyang, North Korea. This is where part of the Complex of Goguryeo Tombs of Pyongyang can be found....
, P'yŏng'yang
Pyongyang
Pyongyang is the capital of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea, commonly known as North Korea, and the largest city in the country. Pyongyang is located on the Taedong River and, according to preliminary results from the 2008 population census, has a population of 3,255,388. The city was...
, North Korea
North Korea
The Democratic People’s Republic of Korea , , is a country in East Asia, occupying the northern half of the Korean Peninsula. Its capital and largest city is Pyongyang. The Korean Demilitarized Zone serves as the buffer zone between North Korea and South Korea...
. The tombs contain the remains of Tongmyŏng, the founder of the ancient Goguryeo
Goguryeo
Goguryeo or Koguryŏ was an ancient Korean kingdom located in present day northern and central parts of the Korean Peninsula, southern Manchuria, and southern Russian Maritime province....
kingdom, northernmost of the Three Kingdoms of Korea
Three Kingdoms of Korea
The Three Kingdoms of Korea refer to the ancient Korean kingdoms of Goguryeo, Baekje and Silla, which dominated the Korean peninsula and parts of Manchuria for much of the 1st millennium...
. The area around the tomb contains at least fifteen known tombs believed to belong to various vassal
Vassal
A vassal or feudatory is a person who has entered into a mutual obligation to a lord or monarch in the context of the feudal system in medieval Europe. The obligations often included military support and mutual protection, in exchange for certain privileges, usually including the grant of land held...
lords, and the site has achieved World Heritage status as part of the Complex of Goguryeo Tombs
Complex of Goguryeo Tombs
The Complex of Goguryeo Tombs lie in North Korea. In July 2004, they became the first UNESCO World Heritage site in the country. The site consists of 30 individual tombs from the later Goguryeo kingdom, one of Three Kingdoms of Korea, located in the cities of P'yŏngyang and Namp'o...
. The current tomb complex, however, is quite modern. Being the burial place of the founder of Goguryeo, an era of particular interest for the North Korean government, the ancient tomb was chosen for "restoration" in 1993, a process which entailed the complete removal of all original buildings, structures, and monuments in order to create a new, white marble tomb.
The complex also houses the rebuilt Chongrŭngsa Buddhist temple, where funeral services were held for the deceased monarch. The temple, whose foundations were excavated in 1974, was rebuilt to mark the 2,300th anniversary of Tongmyŏng's birth.