My first port of call in Seoul today is the Gyeongbokgung Palace.
Built in 1395, the Gyeongbokgung Palace is located in northern Seoul, very close to the US Embassy and the Blue House, the official residence of the President of South Korea...
This palace is the largest of the five palaces built by the Joseon Dynasty, It served as the royal residence, as well as the government of Joseon...
Gyeongbokgung continued to serve as the main palace of the Joseon dynasty until the premises were destroyed by fire during the Imjin War in the late 1500s. The complex was abandoned for two centuries, until the 19th century, when the then Prince Regent, Heungseon, took up the restoration activity...
In the early 1900s, when Korea was under Japanese occupation, the colonial government systemically tried to destroy Korean heritage. They demolished all buildings here in Gyeongbokgung sparing only 10 buildings. In 1926, the colonial government constructed a massive government building in front of the throne hall, Geunjeongjeon, adding insult to the injury...
In the 1980s, the Korean government began reconstructing the buildings of the palace to restore them to their original glory...
In style and layout, the palace appeared a lot like the Forbidden City in Beijing...
The moat...
What a stylish young lad!
Ornately designed roof...
A tour group...
Modern buildings all around the Gyeongbokgung Palace! Modern Seoul has grown around the palaces that dot the city...
The throne...
Posing...
The restoration works would have been painstakingly slow and arduous...
The detailing impressed me...
A sun-dial...
Animals guard the roof...
An oddly shaped volcanic rock - these stones were revered by ancient Orientals...
Resting under the shade...
Punggidae - an ancient instrument to measure wind speed...
A riot of colour...
A layout of the palace complex...
A view of modern Seoul from the Palace...
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