History's Fanciest Final Resting Places

The Taj Mahal was commissioned in 1632 by the Mughal emperor Shah Jahan, to house the tomb of his favorite wife. Set in the middle of a 17-hectare site, the tomb is decorated with intricate carvings and elaborate architectural features. 

Altogether, it took a team of around 20,000 artisans almost two decades to complete the Taj Mahal. Today, it’s designated a UNESCO World Heritage Site and is visited by 8 million people per year. 

Founded in 960 CE, Westminster Abbey, in the heart of London, is the final resting place of around 3,300 people, including prime ministers, monarchs, poets laureate, scientists, actors and military leaders. It’s also home to the grave of the Unknown Soldier, an anonymous member of the British armed forces killed in the First World War.   

Among the most famous people to secure a final plot in this historic mausoleum are Geoffrey Chaucer, Henry VIII, Charles Darwin, Isaac Newton, and Stephen Hawking. In fact, so many famous names have been given a place in the abbey that it’s become known as Britain’s Valhalla. 

Arguably the most famous mausoleums in the world, the Pyramids of Giza were built between 2,600 and 2,500 BCE. They were primarily constructed in order to provide final resting places for the pharaohs and their relatives. 

Richly decorated and filled with ornate statues and artefacts, the pyramids are a treasure trove of Ancient Egyptian art and culture. As well as the pyramids themselves, the site is home to a number of cemeteries containing the remains of lesser royals. Today, almost 15 million people visit the UNESCO World Heritage Site every year.

Located in the heart of Paris, The Panthéon was constructed between 1758 and 1790. The building was originally designed to be the Church of Saint Genevieve, the patron saint of Paris. However, by the time it was finished, the French Revolution had taken place and the new leaders of the country decided it should become a mausoleum for France’s great and good. 

Among the famous names interred in the Panthéon are philosopher Jean-Jacques Rousseau, writers Victor Hugo, Alexandre Dumas, and Émile Zola, educator Louis Braille, and scientists Marie and Pierre Curie. 

Also known as the Mausoleum of Hadrian, Castel Sant’Angelo is a cylindrical building located on the banks of the river Tiber in Rome. The Emperor Hadrian commissioned the building as a mausoleum for himself and his family. 

Hadrian’s ashes were interred in the building a year after his death in 138 CE, with the remains of his wife and adopted son following in the years after. Succeeding emperors also opted to make the mausoleum their final resting place, with Caracalla the last to be interred in 217 CE.