5) Tomb of the Qin Shi Huang, China
In the Lintong District of the Shaanxi province of China there sits an incredibly elaborate mausoleum and tomb that is thought to have been constructed over 2,260 years ago. China’s first emperor, Qin Shi Huang ordered the construction of the burial complex in the year 246 BC and it took 38 years to complete. Buried deep beneath a 76 meter tall mound of earth, the tomb is at the centre of an epic mausoleum modelled on the Qin capital city. A complicated network of tunnels and caverns surround the tomb, one of which includes the famous Terracotta Army, a 2,000 strong garrison of life-sized clay reproductions of Qin warriors created to protect Qin Shi Huang in the afterlife. Initially discovered in 1974, the mausoleum surrounding the tomb is still being excavated and it is thought there may be up to 6,000 more figures yet to be uncovered. While tourists are welcomed to visit Qin Shi Huang’s Terracotta Army, the Chinese government has suggested that they will never open up the ancient emperor’s tomb.
