Friday, October 29, 2010

Top 10 strange cemeteries


Egyptian funeral grounds

These are especially the Giza and the Valley of the Kings, which hold the mysterious Sphinx, Great Pyramid, and a myriad of tombs with chambers. Historians, tourists, archeologists, mathematicians, and scientists all get attracted to it, no doubt! The Great Pyramid, the Pyramid of Khufu, is among the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World and is the resting place of the dead Pharaoh Khufu. The Valley of Kings is known for its simple to majestic tombs where the discovery is still on. Have you visited these famous tourist attractions? Well, do visit once in life as they are really interesting and majestic.

The Chinese hanging coffins

The burial custom of hanging coffins is very old and is seen only in the Asian countries of China, Indonesia, and the Philippines. These coffins are either hanged on wooden stakes, rock projections, or in caves. Among these hangings, the most popular are seen on the Wuyi Mountain in the Fujian Province that are of the Guyue folks and at Gongxian in the Sichuan Province of the Bo people. Comparatively, the Wuyi coffins are the most ancient of which a few are over 3,700 years old. It is logical to hang a coffin rather than burying underground if the dead will go to heaven.

The Bridge to Paradise

This probing Mexican cemetery is in the Xcaret Nature and Cultural Park and whose structure is as per the Gregorian calendar. A cemetery here replicates a hill of seven levels indicating the weekdays and 365 vivid tombs outside representing the days of the year. Further, the entrance is a flight of 52 steps denoting the weeks of the year. Coming to the structure of the graves, each of them is unique. If one looks as a copy of a famous cathedral, the other reflects a sofa.

The Merry Cemetery

This is a perfect example indicating how a cemetery that is always sad can be made entertaining. This UNESCO World Heritage Site in Northern Romania and is really the most bizarre one. How? Look at the out of the ordinary design of the tombs painted in red, yellow, blue, and green. Further, the tombstones are in a shape of big crosses carved from oak and contain funny episodes revealing the life or situations in which the people passed away. The ancient culture saw death as freedom from the world with the soul being immortal. And this belief is still preserved via this cemetery.

The Mafia Cemetery

Also known as the Shirokorechenskoe cemetery, this is seen in Yekaterinburg that was once called ‘The crime capital of Russia.’ So, this is the resting place of the criminals. Then, it is obvious that the tombs here are very luxurious. Valuable stones, black marble, granite gravestones, and laser-engraved pictures are usually seen here. Further, check out for the nicknames of the dead that are engraved with their expert skills – “An expert in using knifes”.

First Underwater Cemetery

Also known as the Atlantis Reef, this is the Neptune Memorial Reef that has become the first underwater mausoleum for the ruins of those who were the ideal fans of the ocean. It is also the largest artificial reef on the planet that was inaugurated off the Miami Beach in 2007.

Natural Mummies

Also known as Le Mummie di Urbania and La Chiesa dei Morti meaning the Church of the Dead, this unusual cemetery is nestled in Italy’s Urbania. Within is the Cemetery of the Mummies that was erected in 1833. This one is popular for natural mummification, a process triggered by a particular mold that soaked up the moisture from the corpses resulting in the total dehydration of the bodies.

Stull Cemetery

Stretching on the territory of Kansas, this is one of haunted cemeteries on the planet and is also entitled as among the seven gateways to Hell. A myriad of legends of witchcraft, supernatural happenings, and ghosts are related to this one such that Pope John Paul II asked the pilot of his private jet not to choose the route that will include a fly over the Stull. One of the terrifying stories says that the devil’s wife and solely half-human son are cremated here and so many have claimed to see the devil since 1850.

Cimetiere Des Chiens

Recognized as the first public pet cemetery on the planet, this one is dedicated to the domestic animals like dogs. This oldest pet cemetery is in Asnières-sur-Seine, a northwestern suburb of Paris. This cemetery was opened in 1899 after a rule that the dead bodies of the pets will not be dumped in the garbage or the Seine River. Look out for the most popular gravestone of Rin Tin Tin, an American dog seen in Hollywood films. This cemetery is unusual, but is a great work for respecting the pets as humans.

Essaqwand Rock Tombs

These adorn the land of Iran. The most unusual aspect of these tombs is that the tombs are carved from the rocks. After a long research and study, it was found that these tombs are the abode of the relics of very vital figures that are from the prehistoric ages – Medes, Seleucid, Archaemenid, and Parthian. If you want to take a tour of these rock-hewn tombs, you need to travel for some 25 km in the southwest from Harsin in Kermanshah.

1 comment:

  1. Amazing!! normally people don't visit to such places but I would like to see these strange cemeteries.

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