10 of Most Unique Cemeteries

8/11/2019 10 of Most Unique Cemeteries

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10 of Most Unique Cemeteries

Benjamin Franklin once wrote in a letter to a friend: in the world nothing

can be said to be certain except death [and taxes]. When the ineitable

happens! f"neral rites! rit"als! and ceremonies m"st be "ndertaken.

F"neral c"stoms are as old as ciili#ation itself! and the$ ar$ from region

to region. %n"s"al or historical cemeteries hae also become pop"lar

to"rist attractions& cemeter$ to"rism! the 'dark( side of to"rism! is a

growing phenomenon aro"nd the world. )ere is o"r list of top *+ "n"s"al

and most isited cemeteries arro"nd the globe.

,ept"ne -emorial eef

*. %nderwater /emeter$! -iami! %01

2he ,ept"ne -emorial eef also known as the 1tlantis -emorial eef or

the 1tlantis eef is an "nderwater ma"sole"m for cremated remains and

the world(s largest man&made reef 3coering oer 4++!+++ s5"are feet

364!+++ m78 of ocean 9oor8. 2he place was chosen at .;6 miles 3either

4.+ km or 6.; km8 o< the coast of =e$ Bisca$ne! Florida. >t is a t$pe of

b"rial at sea and the ?rst phase is estimated to be able to accommodate

@6+ remains! with an eent"al goal of more than *;6!+++ remains. 2he

man&made reef! located three miles 36 km8 o< the coast of Florida(s =e$

Aargo! opened in ;++ after a n"mber of diCc"lties! incl"ding permits.

2he reef stretches across *4 acres 346!+++ m;8 of ocean 9oor designed as

both a home for sea life and a destination for diers. /remated remains

are mixed into di


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gro"nd. 1nd after twent$ $ears in the gro"nd! the remains are remoed

entirel$. 0eems kind of harsh! b"t still: there are probabl$ er$ few people

whose deaths need more than ; $ears of mo"rning.

-en are often b"ried with their workmates! betra$ing how tightl$ bo"nd a

Boliian(s identit$ is to his profession. )ere! the$(re not so m"ch famil$

men who happen to work as tr"ck driers the$(re tr"ck driers who

happen to hae a famil$. >n 0"cre(s cemeter$! large common a"lts owned

b$ "nions G coal miners! law$ers and teachers among them G occ"p$ a

lot of gro"nd. Aikewise! children aren(t b"ried with their parents! b"t with

other children "nder a large hill of white graes! which is both bea"tif"l

and sad. 2he kids( shrines are ?lled with Hisne$ characters! coke bottles!

to$s and poems. 1d"lts! too! hae shrines ?lled with the things the$ loed

G often tin$ li5"or bottles! or a pack of cigarettes.

2here(s a lot of histor$ in 0"cre(s cemeter$! as well. 1mong the man$

presidents b"ried here is )ilariIn Ha#a! who sparked the disastro"s War of

the Jaci?c with /hile! which cost Boliia its coastline.

2he -err$ /emeter$

. 2he -err$ /emeter$! omania

2he original character of the cemeter$ is ?rst of all s"ggested b$ its name:

/imitir"l Kesel that means 2he -err$ /emeter$. 2his paradoxical name is

d"e to the iid colo"rs of the crosses and the am"sing or satirical

epitaphs cared on them. >t is said that this jo$f"l attit"de towards death

is a legac$ of the Hacians who belieed in the immortalit$ of the so"l andthat death was onl$ a passage to a better life. 2he$ did not see death as a

tragic end! b"t as a chance to meet with the s"preme god! Lalmoxis.

2he cemeter$ dates back to the mid&*M+Ns and is the creation of the local

folk artist 0tan >oan Jatras! sc"lptor! painter and poet rolled in one. Jatras

"sed all his skills to create colo"rf"l tombstones with naOe paintings

describing! in an original and poetic manner! the persons that are b"ried

there as well as scenes from their lies.


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/it$ Pf 2he Head

Q. /it$ of the Heath! ,orth Pssetia

/hristian ch"rches! agric"lt"ral prosperit$ and a magni?cent ancient

necropolis! known as the /it$ of the Head attract to"rists from all oer

"ssia. 2he illage of Hargas! or as the locals call it! the /it$ of the Head!

has a cemeter$ with almost *++ ancient stone cr$pts where people that

lied in the alle$ b"ried their loed ones along with clothes and

belongings.

2he ?rst mention abo"t the /it$ of the Head dates back to the beginning

of the *Qth /ent"r$. 2he ancestors of Pssetians settled down on the ?e

mo"ntain ridges! b"t the land was so expensie the$ were forced to

choose the windiest and most "nsericeable place for their cemeter$. >n

the times of the plag"e man$ people! with no one left to b"r$ them! wo"ld

come to the cr$pt and wait for their death.

,ewgrange

6. ,ewgrange! >reland

,ewgrange! /o"nt$ -eath! >reland! was constr"cted oer 6!+++ $ears ago

3abo"t !;++ B./.8! making it older than 0tonehenge in Rngland and the

Dreat J$ramid of Di#a in Rg$pt. 2he -egalithic Jassage 2omb at

,ewgrange was b"ilt abo"t ;++ B/. 2he kidne$ shaped mo"nd coers an

area of oer one acre and is s"rro"nded b$ M kerbstones! some of which

are richl$ decorated with megalithic art. 2he *M meter long inner passage

leads to a cr"ciform chamber with a corbelled roof. >t is estimated that the

constr"ction of the Jassage 2omb at ,ewgrange wo"ld hae taken a work

force of ++ at least ;+ $ears.

4. 0mall ier /emeter$ ,o. 6! Sinjiang! /hina

>n the middle of a terrif$ing desert north of 2ibet! /hinese archaeologists

hae excaated an extraordinar$ cemeter$. >ts inhabitants died almost

Q!+++ $ears ago! $et their bodies hae been well presered b$ the dr$ air.


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2he cemeter$ lies in what is now /hina(s northwest proince of Sinjiang!

$et the people hae R"ropean feat"res! with brown hair and long noses.

2heir remains! tho"gh l$ing in one of the world(s largest deserts! are

b"ried in "pside&down boats. 1nd where tombstones might stand!declaring pio"s hope for some god(s merc$ in the afterlife! their cemeter$

sports instead a igoro"s forest of phallic s$mbols! signaling an intense

interest in the pleas"res or "tilit$ of procreation.

Wadi&"s&0alaam

. Wadi&"s&0alaam! >ra5

Wadi&"s&0alaam 3Kalle$ of Jeace8 is the largest >slamic cemeter$! and one

of the largest cemeteries in the world. Aocated in ,ajaf! >ra5! this

cemeter$ holds the graes of man$ Jrophets! and is located near the )ol$

2omb of )a#rat >mam 1li ibn 1b" 2alib 3as8.

2he cemeter$ coers *[email protected] acres 34 km78 and contains approximatel$ 6

million bodies.

0agada

@. )anging /oCns! A"#on >sland! Jhilippines

1bo"t six ho"rs b$ b"s from the A"#on >sland town of Bana"e! north of

-anila! the people of 0agada hae deised a "ni5"e b"rial rit"al inoling

the placement of dead relaties into caes after caref"ll$ preparing a

hollowed o"t log. 2hese coCns are cared b$ the elderl$ before the$ die

if the$ are too ill or weak their son or other close relatie will do it forthem. 2his rit"al inoles p"shing the bodies into the tight spaces of the

coCns! and often bones are cracked and broken as the process is

completed.

1fter the deceased are p"t inside these coCns the$ are then bro"ght to

caes high in the cli


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Aa ecoleta

M. Aa ecoleta /emeter$! B"enos 1ires! 1rgentina

Aa ecoleta /emeter$ is a famo"s cemeter$ located in the excl"sie

ecoleta neighbo"rhood of B"enos 1ires! 1rgentina. >t contains the graes

of notable people! incl"ding Ra JerIn! aTl 1lfonsUn! and seeral

presidents of 1rgentina. ecoleta /emeter$ is both an o"tstanding

cemeter$ and a highl$ al"able architectonic piece. >t is a tr"e o"tdoors

art galler$! a "ni5"e exhibition of din *MQ4! ecoleta /emeter$ was declared ,ational )istoric

-"se"m! since! among its little streets! we can ?nd the graes of national

heroes! 1rgentine presidents! brae soldiers! great scientists! and

renowned artists and celebrities.

/ross Bones Drae$ard

*+. 0ingle Woman(s /h"rch$ard! Rngland

2he /ross Bones Drae$ard is an "n"s"al cemeter$ located in the %nited

=ingdom. >t is a post&medieal dis"sed b"rial gro"nd in Aondon! Rngland.Priginall$! this grae$ard was established as an "nconsecrated grae$ard

for 'single women!( a e"phemism for prostit"tes and was known as the

'0ingle Woman(s /h"rch$ard(. >t had become a pa"per(s cemeter$ in

*4M. >t is belieed that more than *6!+++ people hae been b"ried there.

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10 of Most Unique Cemeteries