The Complex of Goguryeo Tombs lies in North Korea. In July 2004 it became the first UNESCO World Heritage site in the country. The site consists of 63 individual tombs from the later Goguryeo kingdom, located in the cities of P'yŏngyang and Namp'o. This kingdom was one of the strongest in the north east of China and the Korean Peninsula between the 5th and 7th centuries AD. The kingdom was founded in the present day area of Northern Korea, Northeastern China, and part of Manchuria around 32 BC, and the capital was transferred to P'yŏngyang in AD 427. 2004 (MMIV) was a leap year starting on Thursday of the Gregorian calendar. ... UNESCO logo The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization, commonly known as UNESCO, is a specialized agency of the United Nations system established in 1945. ... Elabana Falls is in Lamington National Park, part of the Central Eastern Rainforest Reserves World Heritage site in Queensland, Australia. ... Goguryeo (37 BC-668) was an empire in Manchuria and northern Korea. ... Pyŏngyang (평양 / 平壤) is the capital city of North Korea, located in the northwest of the country, situated on the Taedong River. ... Nampo is a city and seaport in South Pyŏngan Province, North Korea. ... The Korean Peninsula is a peninsula in East Asia. ...

Many of the tombs, such as the Anak Tomb No. 3, have beautiful wall paintings. The tombs are almost all that remains from this culture. There are over 10,000 Goguryeo tombs overall, but only about 90 of those unearthed in China and Korea so far have wall paintings. The Complex of Goguryeo Tombs inscribed on the World Heritage List contains the majority of these tombs with wall paintings. It is thought that the complex was used as a burial site for kings, queens and other members of the royal family. The paintings found on the tombs offer an unique insight into the everyday life of the Goguryeo period. The Anak Tomb No. ... Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Culture The neutrality of this article is disputed. ...

The murals are strongly coloured and show daily life and Korean mythologies of the time. By 2005, 70 murals had been found, mostly in the Taedong river basin near Pyongyang, the Anak area in South Hwanghae province, and in Ji'an in China's Jilin province. A mural by brightens the walls of this air-raid shelters in south London. ... The Taedong River rises in the Nangnim Mountains of northern North Korea. ... Pyŏngyang (평양 / 平壤) is the capital city of North Korea, located in the northwest of the country, situated on the Taedong River. ... During the conquest of Canaan by the Israelites, Anak was a well known figure, and a forefather of the Anakites (aka. ... Hwanghae (Hwanghae-do) was one of the Eight Provinces of Korea during the Joseon Dynasty, and one of the thirteen provinces of Korea during the Japanese Colonial Period. ... Jian (Chinese: 吉安; pinyin: Jíān) is a prefecture-level city in Jiangxi province of the Peoples Republic of China. ... Jilin (Chinese: 吉林; Hanyu Pinyin: ; Wade-Giles: Chi-lin; Postal System Pinyin: Kirin), is a province of the Peoples Republic of China located in the northeastern part of the country. ...

The following criteria were considered by UNESCO to merit the Goguryeo tombs' inscription as a World Heritage site:

• The wall paintings are masterpieces of the Goguryeo period. The tombs themselves reflect ingenious engineering capabilities.
• The customs of the Goguryeo culture were influential all over East Asia, including Japan.
• The site offers exceptional insights into the Goguryeo culture, both into everyday life and burial customs.
• The Goguryeo tombs are an important example of this burial typology.

Geographic scope of East Asia East Asia is a subregion of Asia that can be defined in either geographical or cultural terms. ...

See also

• Korean art
• Korean painting
• History of Korea
• List of Korea-related topics

Landscape of Kumgangsan in Korea. ... Korean painting includes paintings made in Korea or by overseas Koreans on all surfaces. ... This article is about the history of Korea. ... This is a list of Wikipedia articles on Korea-related people, places, things, and concepts. ...

External links

• Complex of Koguryo Tombs, UNESCO World Heritage
• Northeast Asia's intra-mural mural wars, 6th century Korean murals