Image: Gyeongnam province ()
The Gaya Ancient Tombs were recommended for inclusion on the UNESCO Heritage list by the International Council on Monuments and Sites (ICOMOS), a UNESCO advisory body.
The serial heritage consists of seven ancient tomb groups of ‘Gaya’ that existed from the 1st to 6th centuries in the southern part of the Korean Peninsula, covering three provinces and seven cities and counties. Five Gaya tombs are in Gyeongsangnam-do, one in Gyeongsangbuk-do, and one in Jeonbuk. The Cultural Heritage Administration recommended the registration of the tomb groups in June 2013, and it was added to the World Heritage Tentative List in December 2013.
ICOMOS examines heritage applications submitted by each country and selects one of four recommendations: inscription, withholding, return, or non-inscription, forwarding it to the UNESCO World Heritage Center and States Parties. Considering the precedent of the World Heritage Committee accepting the ICOMOS recommendation, the inscription of the Gaya Ancient Tombs on the World Heritage List is certain.
The Gaya Ancient Tombs are unique evidence that demonstrates the civilization of Gaya, which coexisted with the surrounding centralized ancient countries while maintaining a unique political system of federation, and an important relic that shows a type of ancient civilization in East Asia, recognized for ‘Outstanding Universal Value (OUV).’ All seven tomb groups are located in the center of each Gaya region, and the tombs of the ruling class have been continuously created for a long time, showing the political system of the Gaya Federation, which was united in a horizontal position.
Once registered as a World Heritage Site, the Gaya Ancient Tombs will become the 16th World Heritage site in Korea, and the 4th World Heritage site in Gyeongsangnam-do, following Haeinsa Tripitaka Panjeon, Tongdosa Temple (Sansa Temple, a Korean mountain monastery), and Namgyeseowon Confucian Academy (Korean Confucian academy).
The final decision on whether or not to list the Gaya Ancient Tombs as a World Heritage Site will be made during the 45th General Assembly of the World Heritage Committee in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, from September 10 to 25, based on the recommendations of ICOMOS.
