Mausoleum
A mausoleum (plural: mausolea) is an external free-standing building constructed as a monument enclosing the interment space or burial chamber of a deceased person or persons. A mausoleum may be considered a type of tomb or the tomb may be considered to be within the mausoleum. A Christian mausoleum sometimes includes a chapel.
Etymology
The word derives from the Mausoleum of Maussollos (near modern-day Bodrum in Turkey), the grave of King Mausollos, the Persian satrap of Caria, whose large tomb was one of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World.
Description
Origin
Historically, mausolea were, and still may be, large and impressive constructions for a deceased leader or other person of importance. However, smaller mausolea soon became popular with the gentry and nobility in many countries, particularly in Europe and her colonies during the early modern and modern periods. These are usually small buildings with walls, a roof and sometimes a door for additional interments or visitor access. Single mausolea may be permanently sealed. A mausoleum encloses a burial chamber either wholly above ground or within a burial vault below the superstructure. This contains the body or bodies, probably within sarcophagi or interment niches. Modern mausolea may also act as columbaria (a type of mausoleum for cremated remains) with additional cinerary urn niches. Mausolea may be located in a cemetery, a churchyard or on private land.
Notable mausolea
- Grant's Tomb, New York City - a reduced-scale version of Mausollos' original mausoleum.
- Taj Mahal at Agra, India
- Mazar-e-Quaid at Karachi, Pakistan
- Royal Mausoleum and the Duchess of Kent's Mausoleum at Frogmore, England
- Hamilton Mausoleum at Hamilton in Scotland
- Abraham Lincoln's tomb in Springfield, Illinois
- Lenin's Mausoleum in Moscow, Russia.
- The Mastaba
- The pyramids of ancient Egypt, Nubia and China are also types of mausolea.
- For cemeteries containing multiple notable mausolea, see also List of famous cemeteries.
This is a list of mausolea around the world.
Nizami Mausoleum
The Nezami Mausoleum, built in 1991 in honor of Nezāmī Ganjavī, stands just outside the city of Ganja, Azerbaijan. It is a tall cylindrical building, surrounded by gardens. To one side, there is a metal statue commemorating Nezami's epic poems.
China
Of all the mauslea in China, (Ancient Tombs at Longtou Mountain, Mausoleum of Princess Zhenxiao, Mausoleum of the First Qin Emperor, Xi'an, Mausoleum of Genghis Khan, Inner Mongolia, Thirteen Imperial Mausoleums of Ming Dynasty Emperors, Beijing, Ming Xiaoling Mausoleum, Nanjing, Sun Yat-sen Mausoleum, Nanjing, Zhao Mausoleum, Jiuzong mountain, Shaanxi province) the most famous perhaps is the Mausoleum of Mao Zedong, Beijing, Tiananmen Square.
Finland
The Juselius Mausoleum, in the city of Pori.
India
The Taj Mahal, Situated in Agra. Taj Mahal was constructed by Mughal Emperor Shah Jahan in the memory of his beloved wife Mumtaz Mahal. The Taj is considered as the finest example of Mughal Architecture.
Iran
Iran's Cultural Heritage Organization lists several hundred mausoleums in Iran. (See Ferdowsi and Ziyarat articles for some examples). Many such as Imam Reza Mausoleum in Mashhad are religious and from bygone eras. Some, such as the mausoleum of Cyrus the great carry national significance, and others, such as the Imam Khomeini mausoleum in Tehran are contemporary and carry more political weight.
Israel
Yad Avshalom.
Pakistan
National Mausoleum of Pakistan (Mausoleum of the founder of Pakistan- Muhammad Ali Jinnah), Karachi City
Russia
Spain
- Valle de los Caídos, in San Lorenzo del Escorial.
Turkey
Kemal Atatürk's Mausoleum, Ankara, Turkey
Uzbekistan
Samanid mausoleum Bukhara.
Vietnam
Ho Chi Minh's Mausoleum, Hanoi.
External links
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