If you have lived in Korea for a long time, are you familiar with Cheomseongdae? If you've ever studied Korean history, you may know why Cheomseongdae is so important. However, international students and tourists visiting Seoul may not know much about Cheomseongdae, so I will introduce Cheomseongdae this time.
Source: Queen Seondeok and Cheomseongdae: Naver Blog (naver.com)
Cheomseongdae is an astronomical observatory in the Shilla Dynasty located in Inwang-dong, Gyeongju-si, Gyeongsangbuk-do, and was built during the reign of Queen Seondeok. It is located about 300 meters northwest of Banwolseong (the name of the palace) and is National Treasure No. 31. This observatory remains intact and is one of the oldest in the world. This building is famous as a cultural property as it is the only ancient building on the Korean Peninsula that has been preserved as it was at the time of construction without being renovated or rebuilt.
According to the local guide and the introduction to Cheomseongdae posted on July 3, 2005 by the Chosun Ilbo, Cheomseongdae was built in a cylindrical shape using 362 granite bricks. It can be seen that the height is 9.4m, the diameter of the base is 6.09m, and the length of one side of the abutment stone is 5.35m. This building has 27 floors of stone, and at the top is a well-shaped two-story ceiling stone. From the 13th to the 15th floor, there is a square door in the southern direction. If you refer to the introduction posted on the local notice board, you can see that people climbed up and down with ladders through this door. The interior is filled with soil up to the 12th floor, and the 19th, 20th, and 25th and 26th floors are made of long stone. Cheomseongdae was built with the highest level of difficulty among ancient Korean buildings, and is one of the representative cultural assets in Korea.
Cheomseongdae played a very important role in the history of Silla. If you refer to the information on Cheomseongdae posted on Wikipedia, Cheomseongdae is one of the oldest astronomical observatories in the world, built during the reign of Queen Seondeok, and was used for astronomical observation and calendar improvement. If you refer to the introduction posted on Namu Wiki, you can see that the records of astronomical observations in Silla increased a lot after the establishment of Cheomseongdae, and that the location of meteors and the movement of stars were precisely recorded. Cheomseongdae is also a cultural heritage symbolizing the development of astronomy and science and technology in Silla, and was designated as National Treasure No. 31 in 1962.
Source: If your ancestors had Cheomseongdae, is it in Korea today? - Premium Shipbuilding (chosun.com)
According to Naver Tourism's blog "Climbing Mani Mountain - Jeongsu Temple, Cheomseongdae" posted on May 27, 2018, there are not many people who tour Cheomseongdae, but people who want to climb Mani Mountain or enjoy the history and culture of Ganghwa Island often visit. do.
Source: Manisan hiking - Jeongsu Temple, Chamseongdae: Naver Blog (naver.com)
And, if you refer to the blog "Mt. Manisan Climbing Course: Recommended Easy Course for Hiking in Ganghwa Island!" posted on Naver on April 24, 2017, to go to Cheomseongdae, you can pay the admission fee at the ticket office of Mt. Manisan and choose one of several courses to climb the mountain. I can tell. In addition, through the blog, you can see the panoramic view of Ganghwa Island and the tidal flats of the west coast from Cheomseongdae, as well as the development of astronomy and science and technology in Silla. Tourists are even warned to refrain from shamanistic practices (No Shaman Rituals Allowed) and vandalism.
Cheomseongdae is a historically famous and beautiful place. It would be fun to visit once. You can learn about Cheomseongdae through books, but it can be difficult to understand the history of Silla in Korea unless you visit it yourself. Therefore, going to Cheomseongdae and experiencing it vividly will help you study Korean history.
