Seoul, May 11 (BNA): The Jaya Tomoli Tombs, seven tombs of Korea’s ancient Gaya Union, have been recommended to be included in the UNESCO World Heritage List by an international advisory body.
Gaya Tumuli’s listing was recommended during a meeting of the International Council on Monuments and Sites (ICOMOS), a UNESCO cultural heritage assessment advisory organization, according to CHA.
The World Heritage Committee will make a final decision based on the recommendation of ICOMOS during the 45th session to be held in Saudi Arabia in September, according to Yonhap.
Gaya was a loosely knit federation of six or seven small kingdoms that flourished between the 1st and 6th centuries in the southern and central region of the Korean Peninsula.
The burial mounds consist of seven groups of tombs that display the architectural style of tombs built in the fourth and fifth centuries, along with burial accessories and goods that show Gaia’s network of trade and handcrafting.
All seven tombs are located in clearly visible mountainous areas in the political center of their polities. These sites display dense concentrations of burials constructed over long periods of time.
Cultural heritage authorities said ICOMOS recognized the outstanding universal value of the nominated properties as important evidence of Gaya, which loosely linked political structures.
Gaya Tumuli bears exceptional testimony of Gaya, a unique ancient East Asian civilization that coexisted with its more strongly centralized neighbors yet maintained a distinct confederal polity.
The state-run Heritage Site Nomination Committee said on a website that the nominated property is “important evidence of the diversity that existed among the ancient civilizations of East Asia.”
If buried burial grounds were added to the list, South Korea would have 16 sites registered as UNESCO World Heritage Sites.
WWA