Tomb of the Great King (Taiwang Tomb) (太王陵)

The Tomb of the Great King, known in Chinese as Taiwang Tomb, is one of the largest Goguryeo royal burials in Ji'an, Jilin province, and a component of the UNESCO World Heritage property Capital Cities and Tombs of the Ancient Koguryo Kingdom inscribed in 2004. It lies in Taiwang Town a few hundred metres from the Hotaiwang Stele and is generally attributed to King Gwanggaeto, who died in 412 AD, or to a close successor in the early 5th century. The tomb is a stepped pyramid of large cut stone blocks, roughly square in plan with sides of more than 60 metres, built in several tiers faced with granite and originally supported by large buttress slabs. The burial chamber lies near the top and is entered by a passage; the chamber once held a stone sarcophagus. Excavations recovered numerous roof tiles and tile ends, some bearing moulded inscriptions with auspicious phrases wishing that the tomb be as secure as a mountain and as firm as a ridge, as well as gilt bronze fittings, which suggests the structure originally carried a wooden mortuary building or temple on its summit. The inscription of the neighbouring stele, with its rules for tomb keepers, helps frame this monument as part of a royal cult complex. The tomb was heavily damaged by collapse and robbery over the centuries, and the present form is the result of stabilisation and partial reconstruction of the stone terraces and retaining slabs in the 20th and early 21st centuries. Visitors can walk around the base and look into the interior chamber area under supervision. The visit is open-air, takes about 30 minutes, and is included in the Hotaiwang Stele ticket. It is a quiet site, and large enough that good views of the tiers are possible from the surrounding lawns.