The story
Step softly, for you are walking among the resting places of kings. Welcome to Daereungwon, the heart of Gyeongju, a city often called the Museum without Walls. Look around you.
These are not natural hills; they are massive burial mounds, or tumuli, some dating back over fifteen hundred years to the Silla Dynasty, a kingdom that thrived for a millennium. There is a profound stillness here, where the green grass meets the sky in soft, rolling curves, hiding the golden secrets of a lost empire. Let us begin our walk near the tomb of King Michu, the thirteenth monarch of Silla.
Notice the stone fence surrounding it and the ancient trees standing guard. Local legend tells of a time when the kingdom was under a fierce invasion. Just as all seemed lost, thousands of mysterious soldiers with bamboo leaves tucked into their ears appeared from nowhere to defeat the enemy.
After the battle, the soldiers vanished, but a massive pile of bamboo leaves was found right here, at the King’s tomb. To this day, people believe the King’s spirit summoned an army from the afterlife to protect his people. As you follow the winding stone paths deeper into the park, the sheer scale of these mounds becomes clear.
The largest of them all is Hwangnam Daechong. It is a double mound, shaped like a gourd, containing the remains of a king and his queen. When archeologists excavated it, they discovered over thirty thousand artifacts, including a breathtaking gold crown and a silver belt.
The Silla were known as the Golden People, and they believed that what you took to the grave, you kept for eternity. Now, make your way toward Cheonmachong, the Tomb of the Heavenly Horse. This is the only tomb in the park where you can actually step inside the mound.
As you enter, you will see the complex layering of the Silla burial style: a wooden chamber encased in a massive pile of river stones, then covered with thick layers of clay and earth. This design was so sturdy that it protected the treasures from grave robbers for centuries. Inside, look for the painting of the Heavenly Horse—a white stallion galloping through the clouds, painted on a birch-bark saddle flap.
It is one of the few surviving pieces of Silla artwork. As the sun begins to dip, the shadows of these mounds stretch across the grass. These hills are more than just archaeological sites; they are a testament to a dynasty that shaped the identity of Korea.
Take a moment to sit, listen to the wind through the pines, and imagine the gold-clad kings who once walked these very grounds, watching over their kingdom even now.