Famous tombs

Taj Mahal

The KING TUTANKHAMEN'S TOMB is better known for what it contained than for its outward appearance. When it was built (about 1350 B.C.), Egyptian kings were more interested in hiding their burial places than in outward splendor. The entrances were closed with huge stones, sealing inside the mummy of the king and the fabulous treasures which filled the underground chambers. In 1922 a British scientist, Howard Carter, discovered the tomb of Tutankhamen in the famous Valley of the Kings near Thebes.


MAUSOLEUM AT HALICARNASSUS. After the death of King Mausolus in 353 B.C., his widow, Queen Artemisia, had an elaborate tomb, 140 feet (43 m) high, constructed in his memory. On the top a chariot drawn by prancing horses carried figures of Mausolus and his queen. The tomb still existed in Asia Minor on the Aegean Sea when Columbus discovered America. Later destroyed by an earthquake, remnants of the statues can be seen today in the British Museum.


TAJ MAHAL means "gem of buildings." For over 350 years, visitors to Agra, India, have acclaimed this Mughal tomb as such a gem. Pools of water reflect the white marble towers and the 243-foot central dome. According to legend, the favorite queen of the emperor Shah Jahan first saw this splendid tomb in a dream. She described it to her husband when she awakened. He immediately hired an army of 20,000 workmen, but it took them 22 years to transform the dream into a reality.


TOMB OF KEMAL ATATURK. The tombs of rnodern leaders do more than glorify the dead. They are also patriotíc shrines. Mustafa Kemal Pasha led a revolt against the sultan of Turkey in 1922. As president of the new Turkish republic, he put through many reforms to modernize his country and make it more like other western nations. He became known as Ataturk, or Chief Turk, in 1934. On his death in 1938, an impressive tomb was erected in his honor at Ankara. It serves as a symbol for the Turkish people.