What are the origins of this fun-filled festive custom?
Historians still haven’t decided for sure how exactly these massive pyramids were built, but most agree that they took around 27 years to be completed. For almost 4,000 years, the Pyramid of Giza was the largest structure in the world, until it was ousted from its throne by the Eiffel Tower in 1887.
The Great Pyramids of Giza are some of the most instantly recognizable landmarks on earth. They house three generations of Egyptian pharaohs, namely King Khufu, King Khafre (pictured), and King Menkaure.
Ulysses S. Grant was one of the most influential figures in American history. His first claim to fame was as the unstoppable General Grant who led the Union to victory during the American Civil War. Later on, he was elected the 18th President of the United States.
The massive, circular complex still stands in the Italian capital, and has stayed active in the history of the city long after the death of Hadrian. The mausoleum was converted into a castle during the 14th century, and used as a papal fortress during the 1527 siege of Rome. Today, it is a museum and is more commonly called Castel Sant'Angelo.
Roman Emperor Hadrian, known as one of the Five Good Emperors, ruled over the Roman Empire for nearly 21 years, from 117 to 138 CE. A massive mausoleum was built in the center of Rome for the emperor, where he is still buried along with his wife and adopted son.
Grant was buried in a gorgeous domed mausoleum on the upper west side of Manhattan Island, in New York. A long and drawn out competition was held for the design rights of the mausoleum, and the winning architect was John H. Duncan.
Imam Husayn’s tomb is at the center of a sprawling complex of 65 rooms and courtyards, directly underneath the shrine’s signature golden dome. While Karbala isn’t Husayn’s birthplace, it is the site of the Battle of Karbala where he lost his life.
The Indian poet Rabindranath Tagore eloquently described the Taj Mahal as a “teardrop on the cheek of time,” and most would be inclined to agree with him. The mausoleum is a wonderful example of the timeless majesty of Mughal architecture.
Buried on Purple Mountain in Nanjing, Yat-sen’s mausoleum was designed by architect Lu Yanzhi. A long staircase leads up the mountain to the main tomb, designed as a modern interpretation of the burial buildings of the ancient emperors. From above, the mausoleum resembles the shape of a bell.
Known as the father of modern China, Sun Yat-sen is credited for bringing China out of the age of monarchies and into the age of republics. Although he spent a large part of his life in exile after a failed revolution, he was a man of great honor at the time of his death, and his admirers ensured his burial place reflected that.
The Taj Mahal is one of the most beautiful and impressive feats of architecture in the world, and one of the most important buildings in India. Built over the course of 21 years between 1632 and 1653, it was commissioned by the Mughal leader Shah Jahan in honor of his wife, Mumtaz Mahal.
Napoleon Bonaparte, leader of the French Revolution and first emperor of France, is buried at the massive complex of mausoleums and museums known as Les Invalides, located in Paris, France.
Napoleon died in exile on the British-controlled island of St. Helena in 1821, but his remains weren’t relocated to Les Invalides until 1840, at the request of King Louis Philippe I. Napoleon’s monument inside Les Invalides was designed and mostly built by legendary Italian architect Louis Visconti.
This holy man is buried in Padua at a church bearing his own name, the Basilica of Saint Anthony. Construction on the basilica didn't begin until 1232, a year after the saint’s death, and wasn’t completed until 1310. Until then, his body was kept at the nearby Church of Santa Maria. When his body was moved between the two churches, his tongue was found in miraculously good condition, and is now on display inside the basilica.
Vladimir Lenin, communist philosopher and leader of the Bolshevik Revolution, died of a brain hemorrhage at the early age of 52. While Lenin would have almost certainly preferred to have a modest burial in a Saint Petersburg cemetery, his successor, Joseph Stalin, had other plans.
After Lenin’s death in 1924, Stalin had his body taken to Moscow and put through an embalming process. Stalin also ordered for a tomb to be built for the Soviet leader immediately, and the first wooden tomb was built in a matter of days. By August of 1924, eight months after Lenin’s death, a larger mausoleum was built around the wooden tomb, where Lenin’s preserved body is still on display today.
Mao Zedong, chairman of the Chinese Communist Party and leader of the Chinese Cultural Revolution, died in 1976, and went much the way of Lenin. Chairman Mao clearly stated that he wished to be cremated once he passed, but his wishes were promptly ignored, and he too was embalmed and put on display.
The Mausoleum of Mao Zedong is located in Beijing, and took only a year and a half to build. The building was made with materials gathered from all across the country as a symbol of unity under the Communist party, and was built largely with voluntary labor offered up by Mao’s followers.
The fourth emperor of the Mughal Empire, known to most simply as Emperor Jahangir, ruled from 1605 until his death in 1627. He was known to be a fair and liberal ruler, with a vested interest in the arts, particularly architecture.
Ten years after Jahangir’s death, his son, Shah Jahan, the same emperor responsible for the Taj Mahal, ordered the construction of a beautiful, sprawling necropolis for his father. The Tomb of Jahangir is located in Lahore, Pakistan, and is surrounded by a massive compound of gardens and courtyards.
The Panthéon of Paris was built in 1758 at the behest of King Louis XV in an effort to give the patron saint of the city, St. Genevieve, a flashier building of dedication than the modest church that had sat under her name since the sixth century.
Today, it is a massive, towering necropolis in the heart of Paris that houses the remains of France’s most revered citizens, including iconic writers such as Voltaire, Dumas, and Hugo. Only the highest authority of France (these days the president) can approve burials in the Panthéon.
Such an extravagant title certainly calls for an extravagant tomb. The Tomb of Cyrus was built in Pasargadae, now modern-day Iran, some time in the late sixth century BCE. It stands as a feat of ancient architecture, and its influence can be seen in many other mausoleums around the world.
Although Guevara’s remains weren’t found until 30 years after his death, a monument was built in his honor in 1982. Once his body was found in Bolivia, the remains were immediately taken back to Cuba, where they now rest for eternity underneath the monument built in his name.
Sources: (Touropia) (Britannica) (Funeral Guide)
See also: Spectacular gravesites of famous people
Ernesto “Che” Guevara was an influential revolutionary resistance leader in Cuba during the Cuban Revolution. His name and image have since become a symbol of resistance for movements around the world.
Saint Anthony, while born in Lisbon, Portugal, is the patron saint of Padua, Italy, and one of the most popular saints in the Catholic canon. He is thought to have performed 13 miracles in his life, and it is said that anyone who prays to Saint Anthony in search of a lost item will always have that item returned to them.
Qin Shi Huang was the first leader to unite all of the regions and states of China under one governmental body, and although his reign as emperor only lasted for about 15 years, his influence on the area can’t be overstated.
Emperor Qin also built for himself the largest royal mausoleum in the world. A sprawling, 20-square-mile (52-square-kilometer) necropolis located at the foot of Mount Li in the western Chinese province of Shaanxi, the mausoleum is also home to the world-famous Terracotta Army.
The tomb of Imam Husayn is one of the holiest sites in the world for Shi’a Muslims. Imam Husayn was the second grandson of the holy prophet Muhammed, founder of Islam. His tomb is located in the Iraqi city of Karbala.
One of the greatest military minds of ancient history, Cyrus the Great founded and ruled over the Persian Achaemenid Empire from 559 to 530 BCE. At a certain point in time, he thought his empire stretched over the entire world, and granted himself the title of King of the Universe.
Respect for the dead and the importance of an honorable eternal resting place has been a common theme across nearly every culture in the world through almost every era in history. The tombs, necropolises, and burial sites of the fallen have always been good indicators of their status in life, and many influential figures throughout history have been laid to rest in better, more extravagant conditions than the majority of people of any era could ever hope to so much as live in. Doubling as status symbols and feats of architecture, these resting places are a feast for the eyes.
Read on to experience the glory and glamour of history's most magnificent burial sites.
Laid to rest in the best: The extravagant eternal homes of historical figures
Luxury never dies
LIFESTYLE Death
Respect for the dead and the importance of an honorable eternal resting place has been a common theme across nearly every culture in the world through almost every era in history. The tombs, necropolises, and burial sites of the fallen have always been good indicators of their status in life, and many influential figures throughout history have been laid to rest in better, more extravagant conditions than the majority of people of any era could ever hope to so much as live in. Doubling as status symbols and feats of architecture, these resting places are a feast for the eyes.
Read on to experience the glory and glamour of history's most magnificent burial sites.