Trekking Seongsan Mountain Fortress and Experiencing Haman's History
Ina Kyung, 14th SNS Reporter
Hello!
There's nothing quite like trekking to enjoy the perfect autumn weather!
So, I've prepared a post recommending a great place for a light trek in Haman and introducing a cultural and historical experience program linked to the Haman Museum.
While there are various programs, this post will review the eco-exploration program at <Seongsan Mountain Fortress>, a historic site representing Haman, where you can trek with your family and learn about Haman's history through site explanations.
First, you can find information about the program on the 'Bichuda' blog or the Haman Museum website.
The <SaBoon SaBoon Seongsan Mountain Fortress Trekking> program, held in November by the Haman Museum, was perfect for a weekend family outing.
At the entrance to Seongsan Mountain Fortress, there's a long explanation, but it's easy to forget even if you read it. However, listening to the site explanation and seeing it with your own eyes helps you remember it better and for longer.
I highly recommend these programs, especially for families with elementary school children, so please refer to the websites above! (It's even free!)
Today, we'll be exploring the <Seongsan Mountain Fortress Sky Road>.
The Seongsan Mountain Fortress Sky Road is one of Haman's 11 beautiful trails to walk and is a representative historical exploration path. It's a total of 2.5km long and takes about 50 minutes.
It's not too difficult, but there are some steep sections, so I recommend wearing sneakers and comfortable clothes!
First, we gather at the Mujinjeong parking lot at the start of the experience program.
Since we had some time left, we took a walk around Mujinjeong, which is right next to it. Mujinjeong, adorned with autumn colors, is also very beautiful.
As the weather has cooled down, many people besides us came to climb Seongsan. They were taking the course from Seongsan Mountain Fortress to Marisan Ancient Tombs. Amazing!
Now, let's start the program in earnest. Since it's an outdoor program, we're provided with devices to listen to the guide's explanation through earphones. And they even provide an electrolyte drink!
Before starting, there's a brief introduction to today's schedule and program. I was participating in this program for the first time, but many families were already regulars! It's like, 'There's no one who's only done it once.' I became very interested after participating in this program!
There are insect repellent and restrooms at the entrance, so please keep that in mind.
Now, let's start trekking in earnest. Fighting~! (To myself)
The steepest section comes right at the beginning. You can feel it in the picture, but it was quite difficult because of the steep slope. However, the distance is short, so the difficult section passes quickly. About 5 minutes?
The guide even found stag beetle larvae to keep the climb from being boring! Thanks to that, the children's interest in the program seemed to increase a lot.
After climbing for a while, you'll reach the point where you meet the Seongsan Mountain Fortress red clay path. I found out after climbing up, but there are two main paths to climb Seongsan Mountain Fortress: the path near the Mujinjeong parking lot like me and the path through the red clay path. The red clay path is a bit gentler and longer.
After climbing for about 10 minutes from the parking lot, Seongsan Mountain Fortress begins to appear. It's a very wide basin-shaped mountain. The stones in front are the traces of the fortress.
Seongsan Mountain Fortress
Seongsan Mountain Fortress is located at the summit of Haman Seongsan (139.4m). The upper part of the fortress wall is mostly collapsed, making it appear as if it was built by mixing soil and stones. However, an excavation conducted for four years starting in 1991 confirmed that flat, trimmed angular stones were piled up almost vertically. The scale is 227,821㎡ in area and 1.4km in total length. The fortress wall surrounds the small basin inside and was built along the high ground, with a shape that is long from north to south and short from east to west. Gate sites were found on the east, south, and west fortress walls, and inside the fortress, facilities for storing water and about four building sites were identified.
Seongsan Mountain Fortress is recorded as Gaya Ancient Fortress in 『Yeojidoseo』 and 『Hamjuji』. According to a legend related to Seongsan, when Ara Gaya was occupied by Silla, a general who fought against the Silla army resented losing the war and entered Seongsan crying. After that, no one saw the general, and there were no traces of the general's actions or afterlife. Like this, Seongsan Mountain Fortress tells the sad story of a general of Ara Gaya who lost in the war with Silla.
When Seongsan Mountain Fortress was excavated, wooden products, fruit seeds, Silla roof tiles, and broken pottery fragments, which are Silla artifacts, were found. Also, 700-year-old lotus seeds were excavated, and the sprouted seeds are called 'Ara Hongryeon'. More than 300 wooden tablets were excavated inside the east gate site. These wooden tablets are valuable data that can shed new light on not only the history of the fortress but also our ancient history.
The guide explained the history and background knowledge while looking down at Seongsan Mountain Fortress, and it was so nice to see the children and parents listening attentively.
Did you know that the famous 'Ara Hongryeon' seeds of Haman were excavated right here at Seongsan Mountain Fortress? I found out for the first time this time. It's amazing that they found seeds from 700 years ago and sprouted them in the present.
There's a small container building in the middle of the fortress, which was used as a building at the excavation site. Excavation of Haman's Seongsan Mountain Fortress was conducted until relatively recently, in 2021.
Walking along the fortress, you can see traces of the fortress everywhere. It's easy to pass by, but these are all stones that were used to build the fortress.
We also took a break at a place presumed to be a house site. We shared the fruit we brought, drank refreshments, and took a breather.
In the meantime, the guide showed us a wooden tablet, another important relic found at Seongsan Mountain Fortress. About 300 wooden tablets, estimated to be 700-800 years old, were excavated. More than half of the wooden tablets found throughout Korea were found here at Seongsan Mountain Fortress in Haman. They were found in the same place as the Ara Hongryeon seeds, which was a pond, so they were well preserved in the mud.
After walking a little further, we arrived at 'South Gate'. For reference, the starting point was East Gate.
South Gate was the entrance used by the people of Goehang Village, where Mujinjeong is located.
There's also a large tree in front of South Gate.
The area near South Gate is mostly flat, so it was mainly used as farmland. It's a time to learn a lot of information that you wouldn't know without explanation.
They also showed various related images in real-time, including the wooden tablet image, which was really helpful in understanding the historical background at the time. If you're curious about the materials above, you can check them out at the 'National Museum of Korea e-Museum'!
It seems difficult to organize a program that children can enjoy and focus on, but I hope you'll pay a lot of attention to the Haman Museum education program!
After passing South Gate, we arrived at West Gate. West Gate was the entrance for the residents of Baeksan Village.
There are many pieces of roof tiles from that time, so it would be fun to find them like a treasure hunt.
In the middle, they also have quiz time and give snacks that children like as prizes. Solving these quizzes will help children remember even longer, right? Now, the children who participated here will become children who know more about Seongsan Mountain Fortress than anyone else.
It's a time to build up a lot of knowledge through explanations, take a trek around Seongsan, and enjoy the autumn scenery even more. This was my first time coming to Seongsan, and it's a great place to come with your family, so I highly recommend you visit~
Now, we're heading north of Seongsan. Then you can enjoy a wonderful view of the Marisan Ancient Tombs of Haman at a glance! The ancient tombs surrounded by small villages and fields look so cozy and pretty.
The hikers I saw at the beginning said they were going to see the Marisan Ancient Tombs, so I think they're amazing.
But don't you have a question at this point? Seongsan Mountain Fortress had East Gate, South Gate, and West Gate. Then there must be a North Gate, right?
NO.
There is no North Gate at Seongsan Mountain Fortress in Haman. Because the north side of Seongsan has a very steep slope, there is no need for an entrance.
In fact, the place with the Marisan Ancient Tombs view was almost a cliff.
This is information that you can't easily know without professional explanation!
Walking a little further, I was able to see a loving elderly couple. It was a really picturesque scene.
We also reached there and took another break for the last time. We also took pictures.
From here, you can see the long ginkgo tree road that stretches from Mujinjeong to Gaya-eup Haman County Office at a glance.
Now it's time to go down the mountain. It was nice to see the children following the guide so well on the way down.
The old pond site of Seongsan Mountain Fortress seen on the way back to East Gate. The excavation site and waterway still remain, so entry is not allowed for safety reasons.
Finally, the schedule is completed after taking a group commemorative photo of the Haman Museum education program and receiving souvenirs. The souvenirs are medal-shaped and worth collecting, so it will be fun to participate in each program in the future!
The Haman Museum's November education program
<SaBoon SaBoon Seongsan Mountain Fortress Trekking>
It was a meaningful experience where I could lighten my body and mind and gain a lot of knowledge. If there are any Haman residents who are interested in various cultural heritage programs in Haman, I highly recommend you participate!
If you are curious about future programs, please check the link below.
Then, I'll finish my review of the autumn trekking at Seongsan Mountain Fortress, Haman's representative historical site! Thank you for reading.
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