Gaya Tumuli recommended for inscription on World Heritage

The Gaya Tumuli, seven tomb clusters from Korea's ancient Gaya confederacy, has been recommend for inscription on the UNESCO World Heritage list by the International Council on Monuments and Sites (ICOMOS), an international advisory body, the Cultural Heritage Administration (CHA) of South Korea said Thursday.

 

Malisan Tumuli, Haman

The World Heritage Committee will make a final decision based on ICOMOS' recommendation during the 45th session to be held in Saudi Arabia in September. 

Gaya was a loosely knit federation of six or seven small kingdoms that prospered between the first and sixth centuries in southern and central region of the Korean Peninsula. 

The tumuli consists of seven clusters of tombs that display the architectural style of graves built in the fourth and fifth centuries, along with burial accessories and goods showing Gaya's network of trade and handcrafted manufacturing. 

 

Jisandong Tumuli, Goryeong

According to CHA, the ICOMOS recognized the nominated property's outstanding universal value (OUV) as important evidence of Gaya, which had loosely linked political structures.

"The Gaya Tumuli bears exceptional testimony to Gaya, a unique ancient East Asian civilization that coexisted with its more strongly centralized neighbors but maintained a distinct confederated political system. The nominated property is important evidence of the diversity found among ancient East Asian civilizations." 

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