| Nam
Dae Mun "Great South Gate" (1388, rebuilt 1447
AD) other
sites in Seoul |
Seoul, Korea |
Click on the above
images for larger views.
When general Yi Song-Gye overthrew the Goryeo (Koryö) dynasty in 1392, he transferred the capital from Gaeseong to Hanyang (Seoul) and had a defensive wall built around the city. It was finished in 1398 after three years of work. In keeping with East Asian precedent there was a gate at each of the four approaches to the city: north, south, east, and west. Of the original four, the south gate is the best preserved, dating from 1447. Since goods used to flow into the city through here, a bustling market grew up along the adjacent street. Though the walls have vanished, the market remains, and is larger than ever.
Tragically, Namdaemun was heavily damaged by fire on the night of February 10, 2008. The Office of Cultural Properties has pledged to rebuild the gate over a period of three years.
Bibliography:
All images copyright 1998-2002
Abe Ahn and Tim Ciccone
Yoo, Yushin. Korea the
Beautiful: Treasures of the Hermit Kingdom
Dae Won
Press. Seoul. 1987