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King Muyeol's Tomb - &무열왕릉 (武烈王陵) built 661)

King Muyeol presided over the golden age of Silla expansion. During his short rule from 654 to 661, he forged an alliance with Tang China and defeated the rival Baekje kingdom with the help of his able general, Kim Yu-Shin. Muyeol's accomplishments paved the way for his son, King Munmyo, to unify the peninsula for the first time.

Muyeol's tomb sits in the pine forests of mount Sondosan. It is 11 meters tall and 110 meters in circumference. There was once a ring of stones reinforcing the base of the mound, but most have disappeared over the centuries while only the larger stones remain. In front of the tomb is a tortoise statue that dates from the original construction. It once supported a eulogy to the king supposedly written by Kim In-mun, one of the foremost poets of the time. Now deprived of its burden, the tortoise rests in a modern pavilion.

Behind the king's tomb are several smaller mounds that are believed to hold the remains of relatives of the king. Unfortunately the exact identities have been lost. Archaeologists believe that there are stone burial chambers inside the mounds, but to date none has been excavated.

Address: 경북 경주시 서악동 842.

(Designated Historic Site #20).