Mausoleum

A mausoleum is a free standing building erected as a monument enclosing the burial chamber of one or more deceased people, holding remains in sarcophagi or interment niches, and built in cemeteries, churchyards or on private land. The word comes from the Mausoleum at Halicarnassus, near modern Bodrum in Turkey, the tomb built for the Persian satrap Mausolus and counted among the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World. The Taj Mahal in Agra, India, and Anitkabir in Ankara, the mausoleum of Ataturk that draws about 3.5 million visitors a year, are among the best known modern examples. A mausoleum built to honor someone whose remains lie elsewhere, or are lost, is instead called a cenotaph.