Throughout the history of human civilization, different cultures mourn and treat the dead differently. Some, like Tibetan Buddhists, have no use for burials as they dispose the dead by feeding corpses to vultures or by burning them in funeral pyres. Most cultures, however, show their respect by burying the dead, sometimes in complex and ornate tombs, crypts, and catacombs.
This post takes a look at ten of the most fascinating final resting places around the world, from the largest prehistoric burial mound in Europe to the tombs of pharaohs to the most beautiful mausoleum in the world.
Newgrange
The burial mound of Newgrange in Ireland is definitely one of the most impressive prehistoric monuments in the world. Build between 3300 BC – 2900 BC, it is the also one of the world’s oldest surviving.
Tana Toraja
In Tana Toraja, everything revolves around death. People gently place bones along natural cave ‘racks’. Often, the bones are offered cigarettes or various offerings.
Westminster Abbey
The gothic church Westminster Abbey in London, United Kingdom was established by Benedictine monks in the tenth century since then it has evolved into both the coronation church for English royalty and the final resting place of monarchs.
Giza Necropolis
There are more than 100 pyramids in Egypt, with the largest and most famous being the complex of pyramids in Giza Necropolis, Cairo, Egypt. This complex consists of the Great Pyramid of Giza the tomb of the Egyptian pharaoh Khufu or Cheops.
Valley of the Kings
The tomb of Tutankhamen Carter was discovered and opened in 1922. Despite warnings that “Death shall come on swift wings to him who disturbs the peace of the King.”
Catacombs of Paris
In the late 1700s, Paris was suffering from diseases caused by improper burials and mass graves in church cemeteries. Local authorities decided that they would remove thousands of bones and place them stacked in the abandoned underground quarries.
Terracota Army
In 1974, local farmers in Xi’an, China, discovered a vast underground complex of mausoleum while drilling for water. They had serendipitously stumbled upon the burial ground of Qin Shi Huangdi, the First Emperor and the unifier of China.
Capuchin Catacombs of Palermo
The Capuchin monks mummified the bodies of the dead, dressed them up in everyday clothing and then put them on display on the monastery walls. When the last body was interred in the late 1800s, there were 8,000 mummies on the walls of the Capuchin monastery.
Sedlec Ossuary
The Sedlec Ossuary resides in Czech Republic. You wouldn’t have guessed that here in this unassuming building is an ossuary containing about 40,000 human skeletons artistically arranged to form decorations, chandeliers, and furnishings.
Taj Mahal
The Taj Mahal was built in 1631 by the Mughal Emperor Shah Jahan, who was devastated when his wife Mumtaz Mahal died during childbirth. Grief stricken, he ordered that the most beautiful mausoleum be built.
Author Ahsan Mukhtar
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- 10 Most Fascinating Diving Places of the world
- 10 Most Visited Landmarks of the World
- 10 Most Spectacularly Built Monasteries of the world
