Seoul is in the northwest area of South Korea. A settlement was established on the site in 18 BC which became the capital Wiryeseong during the Baekje period. The remains of city walls from this time have been located on the south side of the Han River. The Pungnap Toseong earthen wall near Jamsil in southeastern Seoul could possibly be the main Wiryeseong site, and the nearby Mongchon Toseong wall dates from the same era. Seoul is roughly bisected into northern and southern halves by the Han River and the city today covers 233.74 square miles, or 605.39 km.

Buddhism was first introduced during the beginning of the Three Kingdoms Period (Silla 668-828 AD) and became an important religion and a major influence in the life of the people. It affected burial rites. Originally, the Silla used cave-like stone chambers as tombs. Then, influenced by The Tang Dynasty of China, it became the custom to place twelve kneeling or standing stone animals outside the tomb. As Buddhism was more widely adopted, cremation became more common. After the cremation ceremonies, the ashes were tossed over mountains, rivers or seas, or placed in a container and buried.

At the beginning of the Joseon Dynasty in 1394, Seoul became the capital. The city was surrounded by a 20-foot-high circular stone wall. Nothing remains of this wall now except in the mountains north of the downtown area. But important gates remain near the downtown district - Sungnyemun (Namdaemun, South Gate), Honginjimun (Dongdaemun, East Gate), Sookjungmun (Bukdaemun, North Gate) and two smaller gates called Changwimun and Hyehwamun. Sadly, on February 11, 2008, the 610-year-old wooden Namdaemun, or "Great South Gate" was destroyed by an overnight fire. The government has pledged to restore the gate, a project that should be completed in two to three years.

The city is bordered by eight mountains and the Han River plain. It is divided into twenty-five gu, or administrative districts. The traditional heart of Seoul is the old Joseon Dynasty city in the valley of Cheonggyecheon, which is now the downtown area. This stream runs from west to east through the valley before emptying into the Han River. For many years it was covered by concrete, but was recently restored as part of an urban renewal project. Here can be found the royal palaces of the Joseon Dynasty. Gyeongbokgung, the main palace, is currently being restored. Bukhan Mountain, a landmark and popular tourist attraction, rises to the north of downtown Seoul, and the smaller Namsan Mountain can be seen to the south. The Han River runs south of the city center and on its northern banks can be found the suburbs of Yongsan-gu and Mapo-gu.

Across the Han River is Gangnam-gu. Here the World Trade Center of Korea, site of many conferences, and the COEX Mall, a large indoor shopping and entertainment center, are located. The National Assembly is located downstream from Gangnam-gu near Yeouido on Bamseom island in the middle of the Han River, along with broadcasting studios and office buildings. Here also is the Korea Finance Building and the world's largest Pentecostal church. On the south side of the Han River and upstream from Gangnam-gu, in Songpa-gu, are the Olympic Stadium, Olympic Park, and Lotte World. South of the Gangnam district are the Namhan, Cheonggye, and Gwanak Mountains.

Bongeunsa in Gangnam, Seoul, one of Korea's fourteen major Buddhist temples, sits on the slopes of Sudo Mountain across the street from the COEX Mall. It was founded in 794 by Yeon-hoe, the highest ranking monk of Silla. The temple was neglected during the anti-Buddhist Joseon Dynasty, but was rebuilt in 1498 by a Joseon queen and later maintained under Queen Munjeong in the mid-16th century. Many of the buildings were obliterated by fire in 1939, and other areas were destroyed by the Korean War. One of the few halls that remained standing after the war houses the woodblock carvings of the Flower Garland sutra, a masterpeice completed in 1855 by the monk Young-ki which has become an important source of Buddhist and Korean language studies.

Jongno, or Bell Street, is a historically important street. Here you will find Bosingak, a pavilion containing a large bell. The first version of this was built in 1396 and it has been demolished and moved several times. The bell was used to control the opening and closing of the gates to the old walled city. It was rung thirty-three times at four o'clock in the morning and twenty-eight times at ten o'clock in the evening. These numbers represent the thirty-three heavens of Buddhism, and the twenty-eight locations of the sun in the Korean zodiac. The bell was also rung as a fire alarm. Now it is only rung at midnight on New Year's Eve, for the traditional thirty-three times. The current incarnation was built in August of 1979 during a reorganisation and expansion of the precinct.

In the early twentieth century, during the Japanese colonization, many of the traditional and historical parts of Seoul were changed and during the Korean war the city was almost completely destroyed. In the 1960s and 1970s a strong economy allowed for a rapid rebuilding. Seoul is now a large, vibrant and growing city. It is the capitol of South Korean, and as such it is designated as a 'special city'. This means that it is administered directly by the national government. Seoul is one of the most populous cities in the world.


Sources:

Encyclopedia Mythica wiki-Seoul

Bosingak Belfry

Cheonggye Stream

Sydney Morning Herald

wiki-History of Seoul

Lonely Planet-Seoul

Korean History

Seoul-History

Photo of Bongeunsa from Wikipedia Commons, used under the Creative Commons License.