Ch'ilsŏng Gate () is the northern gate of the inner castle of the walled city of

Pyongyang Pyongyang (, , ) is the capital and largest city of North Korea, where it is known as the "Capital of the Revolution". Pyongyang is located on the Taedong River about upstream from its mouth on the Yellow Sea. According to the 2008 populat ...

(

Pyongyang Castle Pyongyang Castle is one of the National Treasures of North Korea. The castle was attacked by Geunchogo of Baekje in 375. In 427, Jangsu of Goguryeo transferred the Goguryeo capital from Gungnae Fortress (present-day Ji'an on the China-No ...

). Located in the scenic

Moranbong Park Moranbong or Moran Hill (literally "PeonyHill", often "PeonyPeak") forms a park located in central Pyongyang, the capital of North Korea. Its summit is the location of the Pyongyang TV Tower. There are multiple monumental structures located ...

, the gate was originally built in the sixth century as an official

Koguryo Goguryeo (37 BC–668 AD) ( ) also called Goryeo (), was a Korean kingdom located in the northern and central parts of the Korean Peninsula and the southern and central parts of Northeast China. At its peak of power, Goguryeo controlled most ...

construction, although present construction dates from 1712. The gate takes its name (which literally means "seven stars") from the seven brightest stars in the Great Bear constellation (also known as the

Big Dipper The Big Dipper ( US, Canada) or the Plough ( UK, Ireland) is a large asterism consisting of seven bright stars of the constellation Ursa Major; six of them are of second magnitude and one, Megrez (δ), of third magnitude. Four define a "bowl ...

). This constellation was revered in traditional Korean religion - for example, many

Buddhist Buddhism ( , ), also known as Buddha Dharma and Dharmavinaya (), is an Indian religion or philosophical tradition based on teachings attributed to the Buddha. It originated in northern India as a -movement in the 5th century BCE, and ...

temples A temple (from the Latin ) is a building reserved for spiritual rituals and activities such as prayer and sacrifice. Religions which erect temples include Christianity (whose temples are typically called churches), Hinduism (whose temples ...

in Korea contain a "Chilsong shrine" or other similar structure. Ch'ilsŏng Gate is National Treasure #16 in North Korea.

Physical description

The gate's walls are built into the Hill's embankment, piled with trimmed stones built into an arch gate. The walls are about 10 metres apart, with the gatehouse placed on top of them. There is a battlement and a gatehouse on the embankment. The gatehouse has three bays with single gable eaves, measuring 7.38 metres in front and two bays in the rear, measuring 4.36 metres. There are pillars around the gatehouse, highlighting the middle bay; it has wooden floor. The gatehouse contains a spacious room whose ceiling is supported without any beams.

Notes

References

*http://www.vnctravel.nl/northkorea/?City_Guide:Pyongyang:Moranbong_Park {{WikidataCoord Buildings and structures in Pyongyang National Treasures of North Korea Gates in Korea

Physical description

See also

Notes

References