Death comes for us all but not all of us go in style and grandeur as a chosen few who are remembered even after their death. Check out these 10 most famous tombs and you will realize even death isn’t equal to us all.
#1. Newgrange
Older than the Stonehange and the Great Pyramid of Giza, the Newgrange in Ireland is the oldest surviving building and quite fascinating too! It is 250 feet across and 40 feet high with its entrance marked with elaborately carved artworks made of spiral and concentric motifs.
#2. Tana Toraja
Trojan people in Indonesia believe that death isn’t a sudden thing but rather a gradual process. The same is reflected in the way they offer funerals to the dead which can be held days, weeks, months or even years after death. These dead people are buried I a stone cave carved on a rocky cliff. After that, they make a tau tau ( a wooden effigy of the deceased person) and place it in the balcony to watch over the remains.
#3. Mausoleum of first Qin Emperor
The resting place of Qin Shi Huang, the first Emperor of China has been a fascinating find for archaeologists. Thousands of life sized terracotta soldiers along with horses, weapons and chariots have been uncovered so far. The central tomb is yet to be uncovered.
#4. Westminster Abbey
The Westminster Abbey, a Gothic church in England was the burial ground of kings, monks and aristocrats. It is both a coronation church and a resting place for the monarchs. But it soon turned into the burial place for high ranking English people. Those resting here include Charles Dickens, Rudyard Kipling, Alfred Tennyson, Issac Newton and Geoffrey Chaucer.
#5. Taj Mahal
One of the seven wonders of the world, the Taj Mahal in India was the burial site for Mughal emperor’s Shah Jahan’s wife. It took 21 years to complete it and has since then become the ultimate symbol of love.
#6. Great pyramid of Giza
It was built during the period 2560 BC to 2540 BC as a tomb for Pharoh Khuf. It is one of the oldest and largest among the three pyramids of Giza and one of the seven wonders of the world. How these massive pyramids were made is still a mystery unknown to us.
#7. Lenin Mausoleum
Also known as Lenin’s tomb, the Lenin Mausoleum is located in Moscow, Russia. The body of Vladimir Lenin has been of display here since 1924. To preserve the dead body, it is kept at a temperature of 16 degrees celcius and is given a chemical bath every 18 month.
#8. Castel Sant’Angelo
The cylindrical building is situated in Italy and also known as Mausoleum of Hadrian. Built by Roman Emperor Hadrian for himself and his family, it was once the tallest building in Rome. It is now a museum.
#9. Catacombs of Paris
Also known as The Empire of the Dead, these are miles long underground catacombs in Paris that hold the bones of about 6 million Parisians. Due to the overcrowding of cemeteries and risks of infection and diseases, the remains of the dead were exhumed and transferred here which are now stacked over each other.
#10. Tomb KV7 (Tomb of Ramses)
The Great Ramses who are considered to one of the greatest Egyptian Pharaohs are buried at Tomb KV7. covering over 8,800 square feet of area, their tomb was filled with treasures even greater than that in Tutankhamun’s tomb. But unfortunately, it was looted.