Human have been burying their dead for hundreds of thousands of years – at least 100,000 years, according to the consensus.
Since then, the type of burial has varied, depending on such factors as geography, spiritual beliefs, and social status.
(It’s worth noting for a moment the difference between a tomb, mausoleum, cemetery, and ossuary. A tomb or mausoleum is for an individual or small group of individuals. A cemetery is a place where many people are buried. An ossuary is specifically for bones, which are sometimes arranged in a decorative manner.)
Over time, people have sought to be buried in magnificent tombs that memorialized their power, importance, and wealth – often filled with items they would need for the afterlife.
Here are 20 of the most extraordinary tombs in the world!
Table of Contents
1. Great Pyramid of Giza
Location: Giza, Greater Cairo, Egypt
Year: c. 2600 BC
The Great Pyramid of Giza is tomb against which all other extraordinary tombs are measured. Built for the Egyptian pharaoh Khufu some 4,600 years ago, it has amassed a host of impressive accolades: one of the Seven Wonders of the World (and the only one still relatively intact), the largest pyramid on the Giza plateau, the tallest building in the world for 3,800 years, and a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
But did you know it used to be more impressive? When it was first completed, and for several centuries thereafter, it was covered in smooth, white limestone and capped with a pyramidion that made it even taller than it is today. The Great Pyramid of Giza has captivated travelers through the ages, from Herodotus to Napoleon to modern-day tourists, and is often cited as one of the best tourist attractions in the world.
2. Taj Mahal
Location: Agra, India
Year: 1631 – 1653
If a tomb could be described as “romantic,” the Taj Mahal would be it. It was built on the order of Mughal Emperor Shah Jahan in memory of his second and favorite wife, Mumtaz Mahal, who had died giving birth to their 14th child.
The Taj Mahal is considered the epitome of Indo-Islamic and Mughal architecture. Made in white marble, perfectly symmetrical (except for Shah Jahan’s tomb, which was a later addition) and decorated with semiprecious stones, it was constructed by master artisans from India, Central Asia, and Iran. But for all its architectural achievements and exceptional beauty, English poet Sir Edwin Arnold perhaps summarized it best: “Not a piece of architecture, as other buildings are, but the proud passion of an emperor’s love wrought in living stones.”
3. Mausoleum of Qin Shi Huang
Location: Xi’an, China
Year: 246 – 308 BC
Not long after Qin Shi Huang, the first emperor of China’s Qin dynasty, ascended the throne at the age of 13, work began on his tomb; it was completed some 40 years later. But what is remarkable is the scale of what workers managed to build during that time – a tomb mound 76m (249 ft) high and 200 accompanying pits covering an area of 56.25 square kilometers (21.72 square miles).
What was buried in the mausoleum remained a mystery until 1974, when farmers unearthed a life-sized clay head of man. Since then, some 8,000 life-sized warriors have been discovered, each bearing a unique face. It’s known as the Terracotta Army, meant to serve the emperor in the afterlife. Weapons, chariots, and horses have been found as well.
We don’t yet know what’s in the tomb itself – so far, it’s remained undisturbed.
4. Church of the Holy Sepulchre
Location: Jerusalem
Year: 335
The Church of the Holy Sepulchre is remarkable for who isn’t buried here (at least not anymore); the church is said to be built atop the tomb of Jesus, who according to Christian doctrine rose from the dead three days after his crucifixion.
During the Christianization of the Roman Empire, the Emperor Constatine ordered a church to be constructed over the tomb. This was later destroyed, but was rebuilt in 1048, with further modifications made during the Crusader period. The church is a major Christian pilgrimage destination and is shared among various denominations.
5. Tomb of Tutankhamun
Location: Valley of the Kings, Luxor, Egypt
Year: c. 1323 BC
It may not be the largest or grandest of the tombs in Egypt’s Valley of the Kings (in fact, it’s the smallest of the ones open to the public). It was built for a relatively insignificant pharaoh whose 10-year reign ended with his untimely death at age 19. Nevertheless, the Tomb of Tutankhamun is probably one of the most famous tombs of all time.
What makes this otherwise unimpressive tomb so memorable? In 1922, English Egyptologist Howard Carter discovered the tomb after it had lain undisturbed for over 3,000 years. Inside was a treasure trove of artifacts from the New Kingdom period that ushered in a worldwide fascination with Egyptian history that is still going strong. It remains one of the greatest archaeological finds in history.
6. Tomb of Askia
Location: Gao, Mali
Year: 1495
Askia Mohammad I was a powerful ruler of the Songhai Empire, which flourished in the 15th and 16th centuries and was one of the largest African empires in history. He made Islam the official religion of the empire and, after a pilgrimage to Mecca, brought back the wood and mud needed to construct his tomb.
Adapting local building traditions to Islamic needs, the tomb is one of the finest examples of mud-building in the Sahel. Like other structures in the Sudano-Sahelian tradition, it is built of mudbricks with wooden beams sticking out. The surrounding community continue to use the tomb complex, which also includes two mosques, as a place of gathering and prayer.
7. Newgrange
Location: County Meath, Ireland
Year: c. 3100 BC
Ireland was a hub of tomb building during the Neolithic period, many of which have survived to the present day. One of the largest and best known is Newgrange. Built over 5,000 years ago, it predates the Great Pyramid of Giza and Stonehenge.
Newgrange is a passage tomb, wherein one or more burial chambers are accessed by a passageway made of large stones. Human remains were found here, though their identities and even their status are lost to time. The people who built Newgrange evidently had religious practices that we can only guess at today – what we do know is that the passageway aligns perfectly with the sun on the Winter Solstice, marking the one time of year that sunlight could illuminate the chamber.
8. Treasury of Atreus
Location: Mycenae, Greece
Year: c. 1400 – c. 1250 BC
The Myceneans of Late Bronze Age Greece buried their noble dead in beehive-shaped tombs known as tholos. Carved into hillsides, the tombs are so named after the main burial chamber, which consisted of a dome that shrank in size as the height increased, making the structure look like a modern beehive.
The Treasury of Atreus is the largest of the beehive tombs of Mycenae. While plundered of its treasures and stripped of its decorations back in ancient times, the structure itself has survived intact. Sometimes called the Tomb of Agamemnon, it was named after the mythological Atreus (the father of Agamemnon and Menelaus) or Agamemnon (the Trojan War hero), who in the 18th century were speculated to have been buried here.
9. Gur-e-Amir
Location: Samarkand, Uzbekistan
Year: 1403 – 1404
Samarkand is home to another great tomb complex, the Shah-i-Zinda, but Gur-e-Amir holds a couple of claims to fame: it was the precursor of Mughal architecture (of which the Taj Mahal is the finest example) and it is the burial place of Timur – also known as Tamerlane – one of the greatest and most merciless military leaders in history.
According to legend, whoever dares open Timur’s tomb will be cursed. The Soviets did have the tomb opened – and two days later were invaded by the Nazis. It was only after Timur was reburied in December 1942, on Stalin’s orders and according to Islamic rites, that the war turned in the Soviets’ favor with their victory at Stalingrad.
10. Temple of the Inscriptions
Location: Palenque, Mexico
Year: late 7th century
The Mayas were one of the great civilizations of Mexico – and the greatest Mayan ruler was Pakal, who reigned for nearly 70 years, dying in 683. It’s only fitting that greatest Mayan ruler should have the greatest Mayan tomb, and so Pakal was buried in the Temple of the Inscriptions, a 23m (75ft) tall pyramid so named for the fine inscriptions carved into the stone walls.
Pakal was buried deep in the pyramid, his body inside a large stone sarcophagus carved with imagery of Mayan notions of life, death, and the afterlife. Covering Pakal’s face was a mask made of jade (the most precious material in the Mayan world), with eyes of shells, mother of pearl, and obsidian. The mask can be seen at the National Museum of Anthropology in Mexico City, along with a reconstruction of Pakal’s burial chamber.
11. Tomb of Cyrus the Great
Location: Pasargadae, Iran
Year: 6th century BC
“I am Cyrus, who founded the empire of the Persians.” These words used to be at the top of the tomb of Cyrus, as attested to by earlier writers. Cyrus did, as his epitaph suggested, found the First Persian Empire. Highly regarded as a tolerant ruler, he is the first leader in history to have used the cognomen “the Great.”
He was buried in a gold casket, but this was looted in antiquity. The inscriptions, too, are gone. But the structure remains, in part thanks to the fact that it is earthquake-resistant (a handy feature in earthquake-prone Iran) – the earliest example of earthquaking engineering in the world.
12. Daisenryo Kofun
Location: Sakai, Japan
Year: mid-5th century
Kofun were burial mounds of Japan’s elite class during the 3rd and 6th centuries. They take the form of various shapes, most often a distinctive keyhole shape, and are surrounded by a moat. The largest is the Daisenryo Kofun, which covers an area of approximately 840 meters (2,760 ft) – twice as long as the Great Pyramid of Giza. It was built for the Emperor Nintoku.
The Imperial Household Agency of Japan, which owns Daisenryo Kofun and other nearby tombs, regards them as sacred; public entry is not permitted. You can, however, view the tomb from Sakai City Hall’s 21st floor observatory.
13. Napoleon’s Tomb
Location: Paris, France
Year: 1840 – 1861
King Louis Philippe of France was sitting on a rickety throne. In an attempt to bolster his popularity, he decided to bring the body of Napoleon, who had died in exile on the island of Saint Helena, back to France. Construction soon began on a tomb worthy of the French emperor, but wouldn’t be finished until 20 years later, during the reign of Napoleon’s nephew, Napoleon III.
Napoleon’s tomb has some interesting echoes of earlier royal and imperial tombs. His body lies within six coffins, much like Egyptian kings were buried in multiple sarcophagi. The outermost coffin is made to resemble red porphyry, the material used for the tombs of later Roman emperors. And of course, there are references to classical antiquity, in keeping with the aesthetics of his reign: the top of the sarcophagus resembles the top of an ionic column, while the surrounding winged statues recall the caryatids of the Acropolis.
14. Castel Sant’Angelo
Location: Rome, Italy
Year: 123 – 139
Castel Sant’Angelo started life as the mausoleum of Hadrian, one of Ancient Rome’s most energetic emperors. Hadrian himself designed the edifice, which was inspired by Augustus’ nearby mausoleum. (Hadrian was an enthusiastic builder; other projects of his included the Pantheon and Hadrian’s Wall.) The emperor and several of his successors were buried here, but their remains were lost during barbarian invasions.
The mausoleum’s later history deviates far from its original purpose. Recognized for its strong fortifications, the mausoleum was turned into a fortress by the papacy (Pope Clement VII took shelter here during the infamous Sack of Rome). It was also used as a papal residence and a prison. Today, it is a museum and offers a stunning view of the Vatican.
15. Lenin’s Mausoleum
Location: Moscow, Russia
Year: 1930
When Russian revolutionary and first leader of the Soviet Union Vladimir Lenin died in 1924, the ruling Communist Party wanted to honor him. Despite Lenin’s wish to be buried and influenced by the recent discovery of King Tutankhamun’s tomb, they decided to mummify the body and display it as a sort of communist shrine.
Two temporary wooden mausoleums were erected before the permanent concrete and marble structure was commissioned. It was influenced by other mausoleums, including the Step Pyramid of Djoser, the Tomb of Cyrus the Great, and the Temple of the Inscriptions. Completed in 1930, Lenin’s body has been on continual display there (minus a few years during WWII) ever since.
16. Grant’s Tomb
Location: New York City, USA
Year: 1897
Officially known as the Grant National Memorial, Grant’s Tomb is the final resting place of Ulysses S. Grant, the 18th president of the United States and the U.S. army general who led the Union forces to victory in the American Civil War. The mausoleum, in which Grant is buried alongside his wife Julia, is the largest mausoleum in the United States.
Fun fact: Grant’s popularity was such that, for about twenty years after the opening of his mausoleum in 1897, Grant’s Tomb had more visitors than the Statue of Liberty.
17. Tomb of Philip II of Macedon
Location: Vergina, Greece
Year: c. 336 BC
The burial mounds in Vergina were known to contain tombs. It wasn’t until an excavation in 1977 uncovered that the largest mound – known as a tumulus – contained the remains of Philip II, King of Macedon and father of Alexander the Great.
The tomb contained several valuable treasures. Among the most precious items were the Myrtle wreath at Vergina, thought to have belonged to Philip’s fifth wife, Meda of Odessos, and a gold larnax (a type of small coffin) emblazoned with a sixteen-ray star or sun, in which Philip’s bones were found.
18. Thracian Tomb of Kazanlak
Location: Kazanlak, Bulgaria
Year: 4th century BC
In 330 BC, King Seuthes III revived the Thracian Odrysian kingdom – located in what is now Bulgaria, North Macedonia and parts of Romania, Turkey, and Serbia – and centered it in Seuthopolis, near present-day Kazanlak. Sixteen centuries later, in 1944, Bulgarian soldiers preparing military defenses in the area stumbled onto a royal tomb. It was the first and one of the most splendid in a series of royal tombs now known as the Valley of the Thracian Rulers.
The Tomb of Kazanlak showcases some of the best-preserved examples of Thracian art from the Hellenistic period. Its most celebrated image depicts a seated couple clasping each other’s wrists, surrounded by attendants and a chariot. Scholars don’t know for certain to whom the tomb belonged; one candidate is Roigos, a possible son of Seuthes.
19. Humayun’s Tomb
Location: Nizamuddin East, Delhi, India
Year: 1560s
After the second Mughal emperor, Humayun, died in 1556, his grieving widow devoted her life to building a magnificent mausoleum for him. The result was Humayun’s tomb, the first garden-tomb of the Indian subcontinent.
The tomb complex blends elements of Timurid, Indian, and Persian architecture. (Humayun was descended from Timur, ruled India, and was married to a Persian.) It had a profound influence on later Mughal architecture, which culminated in the Taj Mahal. Thanks to its architectural importance, Humayun’s Tomb was inscribed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1993.
20. Sun Yat-sen Mausoleum
Location: Nanjing, China
Year: 1926 – 1929
When Sun Yat-sen, the “Father of the Nation” and founder of modern China, died in 1925, a design competition was advertised in the newspaper for his mausoleum. The design would have to adhere to several guidelines – it had to be in traditional Chinese style, yet modern, but also creative. The man who was able to fulfill the criteria was Lu Yanzhi.
It takes 392 steps to reach the mausoleum, which is nestled against a mountain slope. Once inside, there are two statues of Sun Yat-sen: one is a large statue of a seated Sun Yat-sen, the other covers his copper coffin and depicts him lying down.
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