THIS WORLD …
MAUSOLEUMS
A mausoleum may seem like a grim attraction but as veteran globetrotters well know, there’s no place like a cemetery or burial landmark to spice up your trip. Even if you shun the mainstream practice of celebrity worship, lavish plots of the famous and infamous make for honest-to-goodness juicy tourist appeal. Here are some famous mausoleums in the world.
Grant’s Tomb,
New York City, U.S.A.
The gravesite of one of the most popular Presidents in the history of the United States overlooks the Hudson River in Manhattan from a perch in Riverside Park. Built in 1897, Ulysses S. Grant’s mausoleum is purported to be the largest in North America.
Ho Chi Minh Mausoleum,
Hanoi, Vietnam
Ho Chi Minh Mausoleum, Hanoi, Vietnam
The most iconic leader Vietnam has ever had has a rather iconic mausoleum to honor his memory in Hanoi. A model of Lenin’s tomb in Moscow’s Red Square, the popular landmark has a touch of irony, in that it remains an enduring violation of Ho Chi Minh’s wish to have his ashes scattered throughout his beloved Vietnam.
Abraham Lincoln’s Tomb,
Springfield, Illinois, U.S.A.
Abraham Lincoln’s Tomb, Springfield, Illinois, U.S.A.
A U.S. National Historic Landmark, Lincoln’s Tomb in the capital of his home state, is a rather beautiful marble sarcophagus within a prodigious stone chamber, with many wonderful details to explore. The burial site sits on 51,000 m2 of land in idyllic Springfield, Illinois.
Suharto Family Complex,
Central Java, Indonesia
Suharto Family Complex, Central Java, Indonesia
Known as Astana Giribangun, the mausoleum complex for the powerful Suharto family, a name familiar to anyone with even cursory knowledge of Indonesia, provides visitors to Central Java with yet another major attraction. In traditional island architecture, the mausoleum is near the Mangkunegaran Royal Cemetery complex.
Quezon Memorial Circle,
Quezon City, Philippines
Quezon Memorial Circle, Quezon City, Philippines
A tremendous shrine to the second President of the Philippines, Manuel L. Quezon, within a national park in the city that bears his name, Quezon Memorial Circle took almost four decades to build before completion in 1979.
Tomb of Mausolus,
Bodrum, Turkey
Tomb of Mausolus, Bodrum, Turkey
The tomb for the man who gave the world the term “mausoleum” was one of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World. Unfortunately, all that remains of the site in Bodrum, Turkey are stone ruins. Nonetheless, the once magnificent burial site for the former Persian Empire governor is still an inspiration to the present day.
Frogmore Estate,
Berkshire, England
Frogmore Estate, Berkshire, England
Adjacent to Windsor Castle in the county of Berkshire, just outside of London, Frogmore Estate contains two superb mausoleums. The grand Royal Mausoleum was made to intern Queen Victoria and Prince Albert, while the ornate Duchess of Kent mausoleum is the burial place of Victoria of Saxe-Coburg-Saalfeld, mother of Queen Victoria. Both are architectural marvels.
Mausoleum of the First Qin Emperor,
Xi’an, Shaanxi Province, China
Mausoleum of the First Qin Emperor, Xi’an, Shaanxi Province, China
Perhaps the most indelible landmark in China, other than the Great Wall perhaps, the location of the famous Terracotta Army is the underground mausoleum of record in the world. The spectacular UNESCO World Heritage Site, though well over two millennia old, was incredibly only found in 1974 by several humble farmers.
Mausoleum of Galla Placidia,
Ravenna, Italy
Home to more UNESCO World Heritage Sites than most nations, the town of Ravenna in Italy is a major tourist destination. A slice of authentic Old Europe, Ravenna has a mausoleum that experts at UNESCO consider to be “artistically perfect”. Though the burial site in the shape of a Latin cross has three sarcophagi, the most famous contains Galla Placidia herself, Empress consort of Constantius III, Western Roman Emperor for a short time in 421 AD.
Tomb of Jahangir,
Lahore, Pakistan
A remarkable burial complex for the popular Mughal Emperor of the early 17th century, the only words to describe this gorgeous Lahore landmark are “dramatic” and “grandiose”.
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