A tomb is a place for the burial of the dead. Some people consider tombs or burial sites scary for they believe that the place is a dwelling place for ghost. On the other hand, many people consider them amazing and fascinating. Here are the 10 most interesting and historically important tombs in the world.

Mausoleum at Halicarnassus: Turkey

One single tomb that can be considered famous and significant is the Tomb of Mausolus. It is called Mausoleum of Mausolus or Mausoleum at Halicarnassus. It was a tomb built between 353 and 350 BC at Halicarnassus (present Bodrum, Turkey) for Mausolus, a satrap (governor) in the Persian Empire, and Artemisia II of Caria, his wife and sister. The structure was designed by the Greek architects Satyrus and Pythius. It stood approximately 45 meters (135 ft) in height, and each of the four sides was adorned with sculptural relief created by each one of four Greek sculptors – Leochares, Bryaxis, Scopas of Paros and Timotheus. The Mausoleum stood relatively intact until 1522 A.D., when it was ordered destroyed as an example of Pagan art.

The finished structure was considered to be such an aesthetic triumph that Antipater of Sidon identified it as one of his 7 Wonders of the Ancient World.

Hadrian’s Tomb: Rome, Italy

Another famous tomb is the Mausoleum of Hadrian, usually known as the Castel Sant’Angelo. It is a towering cylindrical building in Rome, initially commissioned by the Roman Emperor Hadrian as a mausoleum for himself and his family. The building was later used as a fortress and castle, and is now a museum. The tomb of the Roman emperor Hadrian was erected on the right bank of the Tiber, between 135 and 139. Originally the mausoleum was a decorated cylinder, with a garden top and golden quadriga. Hadrian’s ashes were placed here a year after his death in 138, together with those of his wife Sabina, and his first adopted son, Lucius Aelius, who also died in 138. Following this, the remains of succeeding emperors were also placed here, the last recorded deposition being Caracalla in 217.

Lenin’s Tomb: Red Square – Moscow, Russia

A tomb that is significantly famous especially among the Russians is Lenin’s Mausoleum. It is also known as Lenin’s Tomb situated in Red Square in Moscow. This mausoleum is popular because the embalmed body of Lenin has been on public display there since the year he died in 1924 (with rare exceptions in wartime). It is the mausoleum that serves as the current resting place of Vladimir Lenin. Aleksey Schusev’s diminutive but monumental granite structure incorporates some elements from ancient mausoleums, such as the Step Pyramid and the Tomb of Cyrus the Great.

Taj Mahal: Agra, India

Undoubtedly, Taj Mahal is one of the most famous tombs worldwide. It is a mausoleum located in Agra, India, that was built under Mogul Emperor Shah Jahan in memory of his favorite wife, Mumtaz Mahal. In 1983, the Taj Mahal became a UNESCO World Heritage Site and was cited as “the jewel of Muslim art in India and one of the universally admired masterpieces of the world’s heritage.”

Grant’s Tomb: New York, USA

A tomb with great importance most especially among the Americans is General Grant National Memorial better known as Grant’s Tomb. It is a mausoleum containing the bodies of Ulysses S. Grant (1822-1885), an American Civil War General and the 18th President of the United States, and his wife, Julia Dent Grant (1826-1902). The tomb complex is a US Presidential Memorial in the Morning Heights neighborhood of Manhattan in New York City. The structure is situated in a prominent location in Riverside Park overlooking the Hudson River.

Pantheon: Rome, Italy

Another important and with historical significance tomb is the Pantheon which was originally built for the all gods. Literally means “Temple of all the gods” is a building in Rome. It was rebuilt circa 125 AD during Hadrian’s reign. The intended degree of inclusiveness of this dedication is debated. The generic term pantheon is now applied to a monument in which illustrious dead are buried. Pantheon is the best preserved of all Roman buildings, and perhaps the best preserved building of its age in the world. It has been in continuous use throughout its history.

Since the Renaissance the Pantheon has been used as a tomb. Among those buried there are the painter Raphael and Annibale Carracci, the composer Arcangelo Corelli, and the architect Baldassare Peruzzi. Also buried there are two kings of Italy: Vittorio Emmanuelle II and Umberto I, as well as Umberto’s Queen, Margherita.

7 Westminster Abbey: London, UK

Looking at this structure, there is no way you will think that it’s a burial place. The Collegiate Church of St Peter at Westminster, which is almost always referred to by its original name of Westminster Abbey, is a large, mainly Gothic church, in Westminster, London, just to the west of the Palace of Westminster. It is the traditional place of coronation and burial site for English and later British monarchs.Aristocrats were buried inside chapels and monks and people associated with the Abbey were buried in the Cloisters and other areas. One of these was Geoffrey Chaucer, who was buried here as he had apartments in the Abbey where he was employed as master of the Kings Works. Other poets were buried around Chaucer in what became known as Poet’s Corner. These include John Milton, William Wordsworth, Thomas Gray, John Keats, Percy Bysshe, Robert Burns, William Blake, T.S. Elliot and Gerard Manley Hopkins and many others.

St. Peter’s Basilica: Vatican City

In Catholic tradition, it is the burial site of its namesake Saint Peter, who was one of the 12 apostles of Jesus and, according to tradition, was the first Bishop of Antioch, and later first and therefore first in the line of the papal succession. St. Peter’ is the most famous of Rome’s any churches.

There are over 100 tombs within St. Peter’s Basilica, many located in the Vatican grotto, beneath the Basilica. These include 91 popes, St. Ignatius of Antioch, Holy Roman Emperor Otto II, and the composer Giovanni Pierluigi da Palestrina. Exiled Catholic British royalty James Francis Edward Stuart and his two sons, Charles Edward Stuart and Henry Benedict Stuart, are buried here, having been granted asylum by Pope Clement XI. Also buried here are Maria Clementina Sobieska, wife of Charles Edward Stuart, and Queen Christina of Sweden, who abdicated her throne in order to convert to Catholicism. The most recent interment was Pope John Paul II, on April 8, 2005.

Tomb of Cyrus the Great: Iran

This ancient tomb excavated in Pasargadae, a city in ancient Persia, is believed to be the tomb of one of the most notable king of Persia – King Cyrus the Great. It is today an archeological site and one of only five of Iran’s UNESCO World Heritage Sites. According to the Elamite cuneiform of the Persepolis fortification tablets the name was rendered as Batrakatas and the name in current usage derives from a Greek transliteration of an Old Persian Pathragada toponym of still-uncertain meaning.

Great Pyramid of Giza: Egypt

The Great Pyramid of Giza is the only remaining member of the 7 Wonders of the Ancient World. It is also called Khufu’s Pyramid or the Pyramid of Khufu, and Pyramid of Cheops. This tomb with great popularity and historical significance is the oldest and largest of the three pyramids in the Giza Necropolis. It is believed the pyramid was built as a tomb for 4th Egyptian pharaoh Khufu (Cheops in Greek) and constructed over a 20 year period concluding around 2560 BC. The Great Pyramid was the tallest man-made structure in the world for over 3,800 years.

The Tomb of Jesus Christ is not included on the list because it is still a subject of much controversy and scrutiny. Once it is proven that it was indeed the Tomb of Christ, it will surely be considered the tomb with the greatest significance and will surely escalate to the highest and unsurpassable degree of popularity.

One of the basic reasons why some of these magnificent tombs were built is because of people’s belief on life after death. Given the chance to choose before you pass away, where on these burial sites would you like to be buried?

The Church of Scientology is a cult created by L Ron Hubbard (Elron) in 1952 as an outgrowth of his earlier self-help system called Dianetics. Unfortunately there are some problems with the organisation and with Hubbard as a person. This is the top 10 problems with Scientology.

1. Hubbard was a drug abuser

L Ron Hubbard was a drug abuser, which is ironic considering the organisation is very anti-drugs and even runs an organisation called Narconon to help people get off drugs. This from the Narconon website: Narconon is a non-profit drug rehab program dedicated to eliminating drug abuse and drug addiction through drug prevention, education and rehabilitation. I am not sure how much you can trust an organisation to help you with the very problem its founder suffered until his death.

Here is a quote from Hubbard’s son Ronald deWolf:

“I have personal knowledge that my father regularly used illegal drugs including amphetamines, barbituates and hallucinogens. He regularly used cocaine, peyote, and mescaline.” — Ronald DeWolf a.k.a. L. Ron Hubbard, Jr. Affadavit in Schaick v. Church of Scientology, US District Court Mass., No. 79-2491

When Hubbard was in Las Palmas during 1967 he wrote a letter to his wife. In it Hubbard tells his wife: “I’m drinking lots of rum and popping pinks and greys.” See the decision by Judge Paul G. Breckenridge, Jr. in Scientology v. Armstrong, Los Angeles Superior Court, Case No. C 420153.

2. Hubbard was a liar

Mr Hubbard told his followers that he was Nuclear Physicist:

Developed by L. Ron Hubbard, C.E., Ph.D., a nuclear physicist, Scientology has demonstrably achieved this long-sought goal. Doctor Hubbard, educated in advanced physics and higher mathematics and also a student of Sigmund Freud and others, began his present researches thirty years ago at George Washington University.
[Hubbard, "P.E. Handout", HCO Information Letter of 14 April 1961]

In fact, Hubbard had no scientific degrees. In February 1953 he decided to obtain a “degree” from Sequoia University, a notorious “degree mill” in Los Angeles that was eventually shut down by the Californian state government in 1958. [Quoted in Russell Miller, Bare-Faced Messiah, page 212].

Hubbard also claimed to being a war hero – this was not true. In an eighteen month period, Hubbard was relieved of duty three times.

3. Hubbard was dishonest in his marriage

When Ron’s wife Sara filed for divorce in 1951, she claimed that Ron was married when he married her. You can view the court document here.

That in the early part of 1946, plaintiff, then age 21 and unmarried, resided with her family in Pasadena, and at the University of Southern California, that at said time, defendant L. Ron Hubbard, hereinafter referred to as “Hubbard”, was a married man, age 35, he being then married to Margaret Grubb Hubbard of Bremerton, Washington, they having two children; that said Hubbard represented to plaintiff that he was single and unmarried. [Stamped: FILED Apr 23 1951, Harold Cecily, County Clerk]

4. Hubbard was a criminal

In 1979, whilst not living in France, was found guilty of fraud and sentenced to four years in prison. You can read sections of the court record translated into English here.

“… the french group of scientology was presenting itself falsely, as it sells services … and never its leaders did indicate that there was any possibility of failures…”

Even more telling is this quote from the same court record:

“Whereas it is proven fact that that method’s application was unable , used alone, to ensure the success in trade or in job, that it was in fact a mere hope of chimerical events, fallacious promises, those having done such promises being very aware that they could not be done…”

5. Scientology uses dirty tricks

The worst of these tricks is called Fair Game. The organisation claims to have ceased using fair game but many people have experienced harassment since that claim was made. What is fair game?

“May be deprived of property or injured by any means by any Scientologist without any discipline of the Scientologist. May be tricked, sued or lied to or destroyed.” Hubbard

As part of this fair game, Scientology members have created and distributed pamphlets full of lies and slander against people who have publicly protested against them.

In the recent panorama documentary you can actually see one of the leaders of the organisation in Florida slandering a man who is speaking to a reporter about the group. You can see part 1 of the documentary here.

6. Scientology has killed

Wikipedia explains this the best: Lisa McPherson (February 10, 1959–December 5, 1995) was a Scientologist who died of a pulmonary embolism while under the care of the Flag Service Organization (FSO), a branch of the Church of Scientology.

Following her death the Church of Scientology was indicted on two felony charges “abuse and/or neglect of a disabled adult and practicing medicine without a license”,[source] putting under trial the nature of Scientology beliefs and practices.[source] The heated controversy included regular pickets outside Scientology offices on or around the anniversary of her death until the year 2000.

The charges against the Church of Scientology were dropped after the state’s medical examiner changed the cause of death from “undetermined” to an “accident” on June 13, 2000.

A civil suit brought by her family against the Church was settled on May 28, 2004.

7. Scientology is a rip off

When you first start out in Scientology, you pay about $15 dollars per course. You get about sixteen hours of “treatment” for that price. It sounds like a bargain. However, this is the last time you will see such a low price at the organisation.

The first series on the Hubbard hierarchy, auditing or processing, consists of several courses or grades, which enable a “preclear” to become a “clear.” If each course is taken separately, it costs approximately (the prices are always changing) $750 just to go from O-IV grade, $500 for the next one, $1,200 for Grade V (”Power Processes”), $775 for Grade VI, $600 for “Solo” (in which you audit yourself) and finally $800 for the final “clear” or a total of approximately $4,625, although package deals bring the price down a bit lower. For an extra $2,850 you can go on to OT level VIII. Interestingly, the group are planning to release a new OT IX very soon, which will no doubt cost a great deal more.

8. Scientology is anti-psychiatry

The Church of Scientology is opposed to psychiatry in a big way. The offer an alternative to psychiatry which has no founding in science whatsoever. The organisation has this to say in its psychiatry FAQ (This is the URL – I do not want to link it so you should copy and paste it if you want to have a look: http://faq.scientology.org/psychtry.htm).

“What the Church opposes are brutal, inhumane psychiatric treatments. It does so for three principal reasons: 1) procedures such as electro-shock, drugs and lobotomy injure, maim and destroy people in the guise of help; 2) psychiatry is not a science and has no proven methods to justify the billions of dollars of government funds that are poured into it; and 3) psychiatric theories that man is a mere animal have been used to rationalize, for example, the wholesale slaughter of human beings in World Wars I and II.

A number of psychiatrists have strongly spoken out against the Church of Scientology. After Hubbard’s book, Dianetics: the Modern Science of Mental Health was published, the American Psychological Association advised its members against using Hubbard’s techniques with their patients. Hubbard came to believe that psychiatrists were behind a worldwide conspiracy to attack Scientology and create a “world government” run by psychiatrists on behalf of the USSR.

Hubbard also decided that psychiatrists were an ancient evil that had been a problem for billions of years. He cast them in the role of assisting Xenu’s genocide 75 million years ago.
9. Scientology is un-scientific
Scientology is entirely man made. It is the invention of one man: L Ron Hubbard, science fiction writer. It has no basis in reality and teaches such concepts of aliens attaching “thetans” to human bodies by means of nuclear bombs in various mountains around the world.

When questions about Xenu (the evil overlord that comitted this act) Scientologists deny it, but leaked documentation verifies that it is, indeed, a part of their belief system.

Scientology, through its narconon organisation and auditing, tricks people into believing that they are getting help. They instruct people not to take psychiatric medicine (even in the case of sufferers of schizophrenia or other physically based mental disorders).

10. Scientology is a secret organisation

The Church of Scientology closes guards its secrets. On the few occasions that they have managed to leak on to the internet, the organisation quickly follows with lawsuits and threats. If you search for the OT level documents now, you will not find a copy (except for the first two which are available as court records). The swift and calculated responses from the group have managed to do what no other organisation or government has done – censor certain information from the internet. You can find out how to make a bomb on the internet, but you can not find out what you have to do to pass OT level VIII in the Church of Scientology.

Ironically, considering they are so secretive, it does not stop them using information taken from people they audit against them if they turn on the group. This would be the same as a person confessing to a priest, leaving the Church, and having the priest publish their confession on the internet and hand out fliers.

At all costs, avoid the Church of Scientology.

Are the below top 10 images the work of a divine supernatural power, or just pareidolia in action? My guess is the later!

Ganesh Plant

Sam Lal, of Jamaica, Queens, believes a flower in his backyard has naturally grown to resemble the Hindu god Ganesh, who has an elephant-like form.

The Virgin Mary snack

Law clerk John Mize claimed that a pair of Funyuns, an onion-flavored snack food, resembled the Virgin Mary holding baby Jesus. He auctioned the food off on eBay and the winning bidder offered $609.

Virgin Mary Puddle

A Mexican woman touches a puddle of water believed to be an image of the Virgin of Guadalupe on June 4, 1997. A broken water pipeline caused the puddle to appear in a subway station in Mexico City. About 20,000 people visited the site per day following its appearance.

The Burnt Virgin Mary

An apparition of the Virgin Mary appeared in a fire-damaged home in Mexico, Maine in 2005. Three months later, homeowner Veronica Dennis auctioned the likeness on eBay to pay her bills.

The hand of God

It looks like a hand of a (lets not be biased here, there are 10,000+ other gods out there!) God reaching out into the cosmos, but scientists say it’s something just as incredible: electromagnetic energy pumped out by a neutron star.

Baking tray Mary

An image of the Virgin Mary appeared on a baking pan in Houston, Texas in 2007. A cafeteria worker discovered the image while cleaning the dishes from lunch on Ash Wednesday at a local elementary school. Numerous visitors came to visit the image, which was put on display in the front yard of a home a few blocks away.

Pressure washed Jesus

A Christlike image appeared on the outside wall of a church in Bradenton, Fla. after a pressure washing in 2000. Hundreds of curious onlookers came to view the 15-high figure.

The Thompson Jesus Pancake

In early February 2006, Mike Thompson of Beachwood, Ohio claimed that the visage of Jesus appeared on a pancake he’d made while preparing breakfast for his family. Thompson was paraphrased by News Channel 5 of Cleveland, Ohio as saying the image the Lord’s face was a sign from above.

He posted the alleged Holy Pancake on eBay with an opening bid of $500. The bidding reached $14,999.00 before the listing was removed for violating eBay’s listing rules.

Later, Thompson’s listing resurfaced on eBay after the rules violation, and continued it’s bid of $15,000. You can read more on the outcome of the Thompson Jesus Pancake here.

The firey Pope John Paul II

A bonfire atop Matyska mountain in southern Poland took an auspicious shape in 2007, leading locals to believe it resembled the silhouette of late Pope John Paul II, above l., making a blessing. The picture was taken by amateur photographer Grzegorz Lukasik during a vigil marking the second anniversary of the Polish pope’s death.

Grilled cheese sandwich Virgin Mary

Perhaps the most famous food-related sighting of religious symbolism in recent times is a likeness of the Virgin Mary that appeared on a grilled cheese sandwich. Florida resident Diana Duyser discovered the image after she’d taken a bite from the sandwich. For 10 years, Duyser kept the partially eaten Holy Sandwich in a clear plastic box on her night stand. In 2004, she sold the sandwich on eBay to GoldenPalace.com, an Internet casino, for $28,000. GoldenPalace.com is the same company that made another well-publicized purchase. They bought William Shatner’s Kidney Stone.

And a bonus – Jesus appears on the arse end of a dog

Jesus can come in all shapes and sizes, so the below one shouldn’t be discounted either!