5 Of The Most Famous Tombs, Burial Sites In The World

The restoration and subsequent re-opening last week of the alleged tomb of Jesus Christ in the Church Of the Holy Sepulchre in Jerusalem’s Old City had ignited the world’s curiosity and wonder towards some of the most fascinating and holy burial sites around the planet.

Greek archaeologists and restorers worked nine months and spent $3.3 million in efforts to restore and protect a tomb that some believe contained Christ’s body after his crucifixion thousands of years ago. Reports indicated that researchers believed the marble cladding placed over the tomb had not been removed since possibly the mid-16th century and it’s been open to the public curious to see where Christianity’s most revered and famous figure may have been laid.

Read: Where Is Jesus Christ’s Tomb?

There are many other holy or famous final resting places throughout the world.

King Tut’s Tomb

The Egyptian ruler King Tutankhamen, "Tut" for short, had his tomb opened by English archaeologist Howard Carter in 1923. When Carter and his team first discovered the hidden tomb and its interior chambers, which hadn’t been seen in roughly three millennia, they found three coffins, with the last built entirely of gold. Inside laid Tut, and the tomb itself contained gold, jewelry and other treasures.

Great Pyramid of Giza

One of the Seven Wonders of the World, and the only one to remain largely intact, the pyramid was built under the rule of Pharaoh Khufu around 2,550 B.C. Though researchers still marvel and haven’t exactly pinned down how the massive structure was built, its believed to have been 481 feet tall but due to erosion it’s been cut down to 455 feet. It’s the largest pyramid ever built and contained roughly 2.3 million stone blocks, which each weighed on average between 2.5 and 15 tons, according to National Geographic.

Tomb of Ramses

Located in the Valley of the Kings, some 400 miles south of Cairo, the tomb was the final resting place for one of the Egypt’s greatest pharaohs, Ramses II. Due to extensive looting, it’s believed Ramses II’s original burial site contained far more riches than Tut’s. It was spread out over 8,800 square feet, but his body was later moved to the Theban Necropolis, a handful of miles from his first tomb.

King Richard III’s Tomb

Unlike the others on this list, Richard III’s tomb is barely two years old. That’s because the former king’s skeletal remains were laid twice, once in 1485 after the Battle of Bosworth Field and then again in March 2015 at Leicester Cathedral. Well before the new burial site was constructed, Richard III’s remains were actually discovered in a parking lot near the cathedral in 2012.

Tomb of Agamemnon

Also called the Treasury of Atreus, the so-called beehive tomb was located in Mycenae, Greece, and was believed to contain the body of Agamemnon, a King of Mycenae and a Greek army commander during the Trojan War in Homer’s classic Iliad. It was constructed around 1,250 B.C.