2022
During my recent trip to Gyeongju, South Korea, I had the opportunity Cheomseongdae Observatory, an ancient observatory more than 1000 years old. It was an interesting experience, witnessing a relic from history that has seen so much more than me.
What it is: The Cheomseongdae Observatory is a structure built around 632-647 during the reign of Queen Seon-deok of the Silla Kingdom, Korea's earliest complex civilization. It was used to forecast weather by observing the stars. Today, it is one of the few remaining relics from the ancient Silla Kingdom, designated as one of South Korea's National Treasures. At 1300+ years old, it is also during this period when the Islamic civilization was rising to power and China was ruled by the Tang Dynasty.
Review: While the structure is historically significant and quite a sight to behold (after all, it is older than me by a millennium), I find the experience of visiting the place to be a little underwhelming. It might be due to my expectations prior to visiting the place as I read about it online, but I also guess I did not do my research enough. The observatory stands solitarily in the middle of an open-air park, with not many other things around it. While it makes for a good picture opportunity, I don't think this is a place worthy of visiting on its own as you will spend at most 30 minutes here. There is a board explaining the structure but that is about it. Would strongly recommend the observatory as part of a larger itinerary.
Additional tips: Travelling around Gyeongju can be quite a challenge, but you can consider renting a bicycle to help to move around the attractions around this area better.
You can view my review of the place here.
Will share more of my trip in subsequent posts!
