Comfy shoes, hat

Since 2023, seven Gaya Tumuli have been inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage List. These locations spread along the Nakdong River. The Gaya Confederacy existed during the Three Kingdoms period, but unlike its neighbours, it was not a single kingdom ruled by one monarch. It was a network of polities, each with its own ruler, coexisting through trade, alliances and competition. We visited Namwon, Goryeong and Hapcheon — three places, three different stories. The Yugok-ri and Durak-ri Tumuli in Namwon represent the westernmost extent of the Gaya Confederacy, showing its territorial reach. Excavated Chinese bronze mirrors and Baekje-style shoes reveal Gaya’s active relations with Baekje and perhaps China. Jisan-dong in Goryeong preserves 704 visible burial mounds, forming one of the largest Gaya elite cemeteries. The site includes famous tombs associated with sunjang — the burial of people together with a deceased ruler. The Okjeon Tumuli in Hapcheon are estimated to contain around 1,000 tombs, with 18 large tombs concentrated in one area. They tell a story of Gaya’s military power, with spectacular swords bearing dragon and phoenix motifs — symbols of the highest status. Gaya left us very few written voices. So today, we read its history not only in books, but in iron, ceramics, gold, horse armour — and even in the stars preserved inside its tombs. Perhaps that is what makes Gaya so fascinating: its history was not written down in abundance. It was buried — and somehow, it survived. Visiting the Gaya Tumuli sites felt like discovering a part of history I had been looking for since long time ago.