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63 comments to "10 Most Fascinating Tombs in the World"
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Darren
October 1st, 2007 at
2:40 am
There appears to be some disagreement, or at least careful wording, concerning Newgrange and ‘the oldest building in the world”.
On Malta, the Ggantija temples claim to be the oldest “free-standing building in the world”. Subtle difference?
The dating of both buildings is pretty imprecise, so I’m unclear if experts can definitively say which is older.
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Simon
October 1st, 2007 at
3:31 am
Can you post some more images please? There simply weren’t enough in that single post…
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Padraig
October 1st, 2007 at
5:02 am
How about Monte Alban in Oaxaca, Mexico?
According to the following source, Tomb Seven is considered the earliest-known North American necropolis:
http://www.britannica.com/eb/article-9020631/Alfonso-Caso-y-Andrade
Actually, I vaguely remember another necropolis near Monte Alban, in Mitla - albeit that’s a couple of years back and it could have been somewhere else (definitely around Oaxaca, though).
Or, also in Mexico, in Veracruz, Quiahuiztlán.
The mummies from Guanajuato are also interesting, albeit they’re now “on exhibit” and, as such, not really part of a burial space, respectively a tomb.
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Pol x
October 1st, 2007 at
6:03 am
Capuchin Monks in Palermo,Capuchine from where the word Capuccino comes.
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Sid Morrison
October 1st, 2007 at
8:06 am
How about the Douaumont Ossuary, which contains the remains of about 130,000 French & German soldiers killed at the 1916 Battle of Verdun? It doesn’t get more dramatic than that…
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Douaumont_ossuary
http://www.verdun-douaumont.com/en/index.htmlor the U.S. Arizona Memorial, where rest over 1100 victims of the Japanese sneak attack on Pearl Harbor ?
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/U.S.S._Arizona_Memorial -
NotMe
October 1st, 2007 at
9:32 am
a chapel made of 5000 skeletons (evora, Portugal):
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Capela_dos_Ossos -
Ashley
October 1st, 2007 at
9:48 am
Too many pictures!!
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John Thorensen
October 1st, 2007 at
9:52 am
How about the tomb of V.I. Lenin?
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Juan Carlo RodrÃguez
October 1st, 2007 at
9:55 am
It would be very un-Venezuelan of me not to include the National Pantheon, resting site of, among others, Simon Bolivar, our Liberator. http://media-cdn.tripadvisor.com/media/photo-s/00/1b/f5/bc/panteon-nac ional-caracas.jpg
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Vonskippy
October 1st, 2007 at
11:10 am
Gosh Mr. Wikipedia, that was informative.
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Katie A.
October 1st, 2007 at
2:39 pm
Hi Mr. Neatorama! I think La Cimitiere Pere LaChaise in Paris should be noted as well. Or just do a whole post on it. It’s worth it!
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Carruthers
October 1st, 2007 at
3:15 pm
A world-traveling friend of mine visited the TaJ Mahal and said it was the most beautiful building he’d ever seen. Didn’t the emperor also have plans to build a twin Taj Majal for his own tomb - but made instead with black marble? Or is that a myth? Would have been incredible.
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Ali S.
October 1st, 2007 at
9:12 pm
Dang dead folks! Leave some space for the living!
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Ali S.
October 1st, 2007 at
11:05 pm
@ Carruthers
Yes, in fact there was a plan to develop a mirror image of the Taj Mahal in black marble, however, this was canceled when his sons began to fight over the Kingdom and eventually one son succeeded in taking over and jailed his father in the Red Fort. This and his subsequent death after a few years meant that the Black Taj Mahal would never be built in time. Hence, why he has such an awkward sized and shaped grave next to his wife because of his untimely death.
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Thomas F.
October 1st, 2007 at
11:12 pm
The pictures were very colorful; not knowing very much about the various burial sites around the world, I find your illustrations very informative and educational.
Thank you
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David
October 1st, 2007 at
11:34 pm
Fantastic read. Thank you very much!
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Carruthers
October 1st, 2007 at
11:38 pm
@ Ali S.
hey - many thanks for answering my question!Can you imagine? A black marble twin would have put even the original to shame.
BTW - here’s a Photoshopped version of the Taj in an ad I made for a construction company:
http://adville.com/NottTM.html -
Mike
October 1st, 2007 at
11:45 pm
Just on an interesting side note about Newgrange, which i find massively impressive and am shocked you missed it, is: there is a hole in the forementioned feature above the main door that, on the 21 of December every year- the winter solstice, or shortest day of the year-, the sun shines directly through when it rises, flooding the entire tunnel and tomb with light in every recess of it giving it an almost unearthly glow. I have never seen it myself as, unfortunately, the waiting list to visit on that day requires several years of booking ahead. It is a shame, i live here and i still can’t see this wonderful work of ancient architecture/astronomy in action.
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Mondariz
October 2nd, 2007 at
12:09 am
There has been some controversy over the restoration of Newgrange. It is now believed, that the white quartzite stones formed a plaze near the entrance, and not a wall around the mound. The nearby Knowth mound, has been restored in this manner,
This does not dispute the age of Newgrange, but it means that the structure we see today, is not identical with the original structure.
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Al Vention
October 2nd, 2007 at
12:16 am
what about one of the Iraqi great mosques in Karbala or Najaf. They’re tombs I think and real popular ones..
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Mondariz
October 2nd, 2007 at
12:19 am
The “Death shall come on swift wings to him who disturbs the peace of the King” warning, associated with Tutankhamun, is pure fiction by a newspaper reporter called Doyle. Later to be famous as the novelist Sir Arthur Conan.
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mead
October 2nd, 2007 at
1:18 am
how about the tomb of the unknown soldier at arligton?
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danbowles
October 2nd, 2007 at
2:15 am
The mungo man of western NSW, Australia, is an interesting story…
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Ogre
October 2nd, 2007 at
2:20 am
How about a strange cemetery in Romania: the Merry Cemetery. Visiting this place is seen as a happy ocasion by locals or tourists.
http://www.pbase.com/bauer/sapanta
http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?sec=travel&res=9407EEDD1230 F93AA1575AC0A9649C8B63
http://www.romaniatourism.com/pressclips.html -
Levent Dal
October 2nd, 2007 at
3:53 am
http://www.tsk.mil.tr/anitkabir/anitkabiryerlesim.html
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/An%C4%B1tkabir -
Boris
October 2nd, 2007 at
4:16 am
the earth history is very intresting, death and live is merge in one.
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Peter Ivanov
October 2nd, 2007 at
4:18 am
we have very intresting tracian tombs here
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Boris
October 2nd, 2007 at
4:18 am
Im in Bulgaria and here is a one of greath tomb of Thracians. Search more information about Seftopolis project.
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Ale
October 2nd, 2007 at
4:56 am
I guess you forgot about Petra in Jordan..
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Blake Brannon
October 2nd, 2007 at
7:26 am
Excellent post. Thanks for the information.
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Ali S.
October 2nd, 2007 at
12:16 pm
@ Carruthers
Sweet Mumra in a half! The horror if the Taj Mahal should ever look like that!
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gabi
October 2nd, 2007 at
4:05 pm
it’s called Kutná Hora not sedlec, sedlec is name of many citys/city-areas. but the name of the town with this church is Kutná Hora. thanks a lot
gabi
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asdf
October 2nd, 2007 at
4:25 pm
Wheres the meso and south american tombs!?
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EXX
October 3rd, 2007 at
1:22 pm
pyyyze axujelinau!!! pilsas irgi!!!!
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Dan
October 3rd, 2007 at
3:13 pm
Petra, the capital city of the ancient Nabataeans has thousand of family burial tombs complete with dining halls where the dead were celebrated, and mountains of broken pottery, because dishes were smashed after the meal! Since Petra was voted into the top 7 ancient wonders, it might be worthy of consideration.
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Sue
October 3rd, 2007 at
4:57 pm
You missed the Roman catacombs. One million people buried underneath and around a thriving city. Truly inspirational.
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Sea Corps
October 3rd, 2007 at
6:43 pm
Visited Sagada in the Philippines where they have “hanging coffins”. See photos:
http://www.geocities.com/sagada_igorot/sagada/hanging_coffins.htmlI remember our guide saying that the ancient religion practiced in the area was opposed to the dead being in the dark so coffins were located at the mouths of caves or dangled over the sides of cliffs.
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Matt
October 3rd, 2007 at
7:54 pm
What happens to the spirit of the dead person should be the next article. Click on my name to see where I think the dead go.
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Paul
October 4th, 2007 at
8:37 am
You should consider including Valle de los Callidos (Valley of the Fallen) in this list. The tomb of Generalissimo Francisco Franco, it is an entire cathedral carved in a mountainside and intended to be a monument to those who died in the Spanish Civil War. It was built by Republican veterans in virtual slave labor over a period of 18 years. It’s topped by one one of the largest stone crucifixes in the world — which of course, is positioned on the hilltop directly over the position of Franco’s final resting place in the church below.
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Tyler
October 4th, 2007 at
8:46 am
Great article.
I would have added Colma, California - the necropolis of San Francisco.
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Paul
October 4th, 2007 at
10:27 am
Great site, well-done! Check out St. Michan’s in Dublin http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/St._Michan’s_Church , they have “mummies” in their crypt, possibly dating back to the Crusades.
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John Doyle
October 4th, 2007 at
10:16 pm
Very cool………thanks a bunch. Although I must point out that modern research (Dr.Robert Schoch comes to mind) has shot down the notion that the Great Pyramid of Giza was built as a tomb…….at least to my mind after reviewing the literature.
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David Cornelius
October 4th, 2007 at
11:14 pm
the Staglieno in Genoa; the Camposanto in Pisa; the Adams monument in Washington…
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David Cornelius
October 4th, 2007 at
11:15 pm
…and the Dulwich Art Gallery mausoleum in South London.
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SunkenCiv
October 5th, 2007 at
12:06 pm
Honorable mention for “The Mummies of Guanajuato”?
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SunkenCiv
October 5th, 2007 at
12:14 pm
Tomb of the Patriarchs is also interesting:
http://www.stockton.edu/~gilmorew/consorti/tombpatr.jpg -
Ben
October 5th, 2007 at
12:55 pm
Brilliant, just the kind of thing I love to read about; thanks for posting it!
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yugan
October 7th, 2007 at
10:24 am
anybody knows that there was an issue with taj mahal?? there was a book claiming that taj mahal was a shiva temple hall which was calles teja mahalaya. after the muslim invasion it was redesignd to taj mahal. i have no idea whether its true but the guy who claimed it had pretty convincing proofs. just search for “tejo mahalaya” on google.
thx
yugan
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M T
October 7th, 2007 at
6:22 pm
How about the Chapel of Bones (Capella dos Ossos) in Evora, Portugal, whose walls and pillars are covered entirely in the bones of around 5,000 monks.
http://goeurope.about.com/od/portugal/ig/Chapel-of-bones-pictures/Cape la-dos-Ossos-Picture.htm
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SIPAN
October 9th, 2007 at
10:28 pm
http://www.perucultural.org.pe/sipan/
sipan
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Charlie
October 10th, 2007 at
1:22 am
Check out the Douaumont Ossuary on google. 130,000 French and German soldiers bones are collected there from the Verdun battle field. - Charlie
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ABUBAKR
October 10th, 2007 at
1:30 am
Don’t Forget the http://www.TOMBofJESUS.com in KASHMIR, and thence the resting place of the 2nd Messiah MIRZA GHULAM AHMAD in Qadian, India, http://www.zmo.de/muslime_in_europa/ergebnisse/lathan/index.html
http://www.ALISLAM.org.
Last but not least the TOMB OF MUHAMMAD PEACE AND BLESSINGS BE UPON HIM THE PROPHET OF THE ONE GOD bringing the religion of peace ISLAM http://www.flickr.com/photos/shia/118403525/ -
ABUBAKR
October 10th, 2007 at
4:48 am
ROMEO & JULIET = ROME & JESUS
SNOWWHITE & THE 7 DWARVES = JESUS & 7 HILLS OF ROME
SLEEPING BEAUTY, ETC, ETC —-> RESUCITATION -
Michael Dickson
October 11th, 2007 at
4:36 pm
A possible entry are the mummies of Guanajuato, Mexico.
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Jo blo
October 19th, 2007 at
4:29 am
Newgrange shouldn’t really qualify as the oldest surviving building, since the exterior wall and its entire current form are a reconstruction built in the 19th century - the only original parts are the tomb entrance and interior, and a large carved block in the exterior wall. The whole lot was covered by a hill until it was excavated. Nowadays you cant even visit the original site, you must go to a completely fake “visitor centre” across the valley from the real thing.
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dainel Pinero
October 25th, 2007 at
2:34 pm
10 tombs
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Lamidave
October 27th, 2007 at
11:46 am
In the town of Mazamet, in southern France, there is a museum showing burial and mourning practices around the world and at different times. The museum is (or at least was) located in the basement of the town hall.
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Wil
November 8th, 2007 at
8:50 am
How about the Tomb of the Eagles on Orkney. Maybe not worthy for the top 10 list, but an amazing tomb, dating to 3000BC. Well worth a visit if you’re ever up in the wild islands of Scotland!
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Ky Richards
November 16th, 2007 at
4:45 pm
It’s not a phenominally spectacular place, but I’ve always liked the quaint charm of BOOT HILL Cemetary, in Tombstone, Arizona!
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Taras
November 18th, 2007 at
6:53 pm
Disappointed not to see a mention of Maeshowe!
One of the best-preserved neolithic tombs in Northern Europe, unique and with added Vikings!
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MiguelC
November 21st, 2007 at
5:01 am
Great post, thanks very much.
Here is one you missed out on - the Capela dos Ossos (Chapel of Bones) in Évora, Portugal:
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Yuriy
November 30th, 2007 at
9:39 pm
Listen what about Black See and the bone house in Ukraine???
Is any body can stretch their imagination beyond pyramids and Roman Empire. Enormous civilization in the geographical Centrum of the Europe and not even one word??? If so than you guys know half history.
Thank you. -
Bl0ss0m
January 14th, 2008 at
1:41 pm
Nah, Newgrange is as follows: the principal structure including the corbelled (amazing) roof and the passage itself is EXACTLY as it was 8000 years ago. It needed no reconstruction as it remained intact for all that time due to the incredible engineering of the original structure. ONce inside the original soil has turned to sand which hasn’t seen rainfall in since the roof was first constructed. The OUTSIDE of the structure is reconstructed but if you travel to Knowth and Dowth you can see what it looked like before. The visitors’ entrance is not fake, it merely allows elderly or infirm people to enter the tomb, the alternative is to climb over the entrance stone which blocks the door. Baring in mind that the stone is well over a meter high you can see the necessity of that. And would you really begrudge the visitors a path? And you CAN visit the tomb itself, you just have to get a BUS from the visitors centre!:D I’m really glad it was included because it’s one of the most amaing places I’ve ever seen & I’ve travelled a bit - but then I’m from Meath nearby so I might be biased. Only problem is that there’s no evidence that it is a tomb. It’s called a “passage grave” because in Neolithic Ireland stone graves were popular. They think it might have been a temple of some sort! Anyway, cool list!:D
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