Most Fascinating Tombs in the World

Modern-day Noah’s Arc » While religious experts search for proof Noah’s ... Scientists Discover New Flying Dinosaurs » Nemicolopterus crypticus is a new genus and spec... Parents Let 4 year Daughter Live With 2 Crocodiles... » Not sure if they are crocodiles or alligators but... World’s largest poker table » Built in 2007 for the promotion of a movie called ... These Trees Must Stink » In case you don't know, the art of 'shoe tossing' ... How Evolution Happens » Watch evolution unfold before you in this... Sultan's Elephant » The Sultan’s Elephant is one of the biggest piec... 20 Unusual Churches » Most extraordinary, strange, odd, you name it, chu... Still-Life » ohan Lorbeer is a German street performer. He beca... Extreme Scrabble 60th Anniversary - Play it in the... » UNTIL now, the word “extreme” was simply a gre...

Saturday, 11 February 2012

You are here: Home

Amazing & Intresting

Tuesday, 23 February 2010 00:00

Article Index
Most Fascinating Tombs in the World
Page 02
Page 03
All Pages

Page 1 of 3

Catacombs of Paris
Most Fascinating Tombs in the World

Officially called les carrières de Paris or "the quarries of Paris," the Catacombs of Paris is a network of underground tunnels and rooms that used to be Roman-era limestone quarries.

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.

Today, the entrance to the catacombs is restricted and only a small portion of the 186 miles (300 km) worth of underground tunnels is accessible to the public. Secret entrances to the Catacombs, however, dotted Paris - urban explorers have found access via sewers, manholes and even the Paris Metro subway system.

Terracota Army
Most Fascinating Tombs in the World

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.

According to legends, the First Emperor was buried alongside great treasures inside a tomb with pearl-laced ceilings (in a pattern that represented the cosmos) and channels dug in the ground with flowing mercury to represent the rivers of China. But the most famous feature of the tomb is the Terracota Army, about 8,000 life-like and life-sized statues of soldiers buried alongside Qin Shi Huangdi to help the Emperor rule in the afterlife.

Newgrange
Most Fascinating Tombs in the World

The burial mound of Newgrange in County Meath, Ireland is definitely one of the most impressive prehistoric monuments in the world. Build between 3300 BC - 2900 BC, it is the also the world’s oldest surviving building (it’s older than Stonehenge and the Great Pyramid of Giza in Egypt).

Newgrange is impressive: the circular mound is 250 feet (76 m) across and 40 feet (12 m) high. It covers an entire acre (4046 m²). A long tunnel under the mound leads to a high-domed burial chamber, a corbelled vault with ceilings made of huge, interlocking stone slabs.

The entrance to Newgrange is marked with a huge curbstone that is elaborately carved with "megalithic art," which includes spiral and concentric arc motifs chipped into the stone with flint tools.

Tana Toraja
Most Fascinating Tombs in the World

The Toraja people in Sulawesi, Indonesia, have what is probably the most complex funeral ritual in the world. When someone dies, the funeral is attended by a lot of people and can last for days! But that’s not the strange part - this is: the funeral ceremony is often held weeks, months, or even years after the death (to give the family of the deceased time to raise enough money for expenses).

Torajans can wait that long because they believe that death is not a sudden event but instead a gradual process towards the afterlife (if you’re wondering about the smell - the dead body is embalmed within the first few days of death, then stored in a secret place until the funeral ceremony).

After much partying (including the slaughter of one or several water buffaloes), the dead is buried in a stone cave carved out of a rocky cliff. A wood-carved effigy called tau tau, carved with the likeness of the dead person is then placed in the balcony of the tomb to represent the dead and watch over their remains.

Prev - Next >>