8 August 2012 ~ Jongmyo & Changdeokgung Palace

Listening to: Gang Pic Pac ~ Eminem's Without Me - Instrumental 2

Happy Birthday!





Unfortunately Jongmyo (Royal Ancestral Shrine) was closed on Tuesdays, so I only got a picture of the outside.

This shrine was built around 1410 and houses the ancestral tablets listing the names and accomplishments of the 27 Yi (Joseon) kings and queens. Ancestor rituals in accordance with Confucian are still observed here.

Next stop was Changdeokgung Palace. Built as a secondary palace of the Joseion Dynasty in 1405, during King Taijong's reign, it later became the main palace for many kings.

This is a map of the full palace grounds.

This is the main gate, burned down during the Japanese invasion in 1592 and restored in 1608.

Injeongjeon is the throne hall where major state affairs, including the coronation of a new king and receiving foreign envoys, took place.

Oh look, here's a foreigner being received.

And the official "throne".

Caught a glimpse of this Korean Magpie.