Tombs and Mausoleums Trivia Quiz

Answer: Otto von Bismarck

Otto von Bismarck was the first Chancellor of the German Empire from 1871 to 1890. He was the most powerful leaders of Germany during the reign of Wilhelm I. He was one of the key people behind the unification of Germany with Prussia as the central power in unified Germany, in which he served as the Imperial Chancellor. Under him, Prussia fought three wars against Denmark, France and Austria. He was called the 'Iron Chancellor'. Under his rule, the government was controlled by a the land-owning elite known as 'Junker'.

The chapel of the Bismarck mausoleum is a protected monument. The epitaph on his tomb is: "A faithful German servant of Emperor Wilhelm I."

Answer: Karachi

Muhammad Ali Jinnah was the leader of the All-India Muslim League in British India from 1913 till the establishment of Pakistan, the formation of which was to a great extent due to his efforts. He was also the first Governor-General of Pakistan. Mazar-e-Quaid was designed by Yahya Merchant and its architecture was inspired by the Samanid Mausoleum in Uzbekistan, which is the final resting place of Ismail Samani, a Persian amir. Mazar-e-Quaid is made of white marble and incorporated features of Islamic architecture.

It also contains the tombs of Muhammad Ali Jinnah's sister Fatima Jinnah, and Liaquat Ali Khan, the first Prime Minister of Pakistan.

Answer: Abraham Lincoln

Abraham Lincoln was the sixteenth President of the USA and was the President during the American Civil War. His most important legacy was the abolition of slavery. Although born in Kentucky, his early political career was mostly based from Illinois.

The Lincoln Tomb in Oak Ridge Cemetery hosts the tombs of Abraham Lincoln, his wife Mary Lincoln, and three of their sons, Edward, William and Thomas. Lincoln's tomb was designated as a National Historical Landmark and listed on the National Register of Historical Places in the USA. Larkin Goldsmith Mead was the architect of the tomb.

Answer: Ankara

Mustafa Kemal Ataturk was the leader of the Turkish War of Independence and founder and first President of the Republic of Turkey. He had a prominent role in the victory of Ottoman Turkey in the Battle of Gallipoli in World War I. He was a proponent of secularism, and brought revolutionary changes to the overwhelmingly Muslim Turkey. This included replacing the Arabic alphabet with the Roman alphabet, modified for Turkish.

Anýtkabir was designed by architects Emin Onat and Ahmet Orhan Arda. It incorporates elements of both Ottoman and Selhuq architecture. Several arches surround the ceremonial courtyard. It also houses the tomb of Ismet Inonu, the second President of Turkey.

Answer: St. Geneviève

St. Genevieve was a Christian saint who lived in the 5th century AD. She is believed to have saved Paris from the attack of Attila the Hun through a 'prayer marathon' in 451 AD. She is known for her role in the releasing of prisoners when the Germanic king Childeric I attacked the city. The feast day of St. Genevieve is January 3.

The Panthéon, though originally built as a church for St. Geneviève, later began to serve as a mausoleum for distinguished French citizens. It is a great example of Neoclassical architecture, with several features being influenced by the Pantheon in Rome. The construction of the Panthéon was commissioned by Louis XV of France.

Answer: Sun Yat-sen

Sun Yat-sen was the first president and founding father of the Republic of China, or Taiwan. He is widely regarded as the 'Father of the Nation' in Tawiwan. He had a key role in the Xinhai Revolution, which led to the overthrow of the Qing dynasty in China. He was the founder and first President of the Kuomintang (Nationalist Party of China). However, his party split into two factions after his death. He was succeeded by Yuan Shikai as the Provisional President of the Republic of China. Roads in numerous Chinese cities are named as Zhongshang Lu, in the honour of Sun Yat-sen.

After the death of Sun Yat-sen in 1925, the construction of his tomb started in 1926 and ended in 1929. The sarcophagus is made of marble.

Answer: He read the Declaration of Independence of Vietnam here

Ho Chi Minh was the Chairman and First Secretary of the Workers' Party of Vietnam. He was also Prime Minister and President of the Democratic Republic of Vietnam (North Vietnam). Having organized resistance against the Japanese in World War II he went on to resist the return of the French.

He was the leader of the Viet Minh during the war against France and later of North Vietnam during the Vietnam War. He is known for the Ho Chi Minh trail, the logistical system passing through Laos and Cambodia, during the Vietnam War. On September 2, 1945, Ho Chi Minh read out the Proclamation of Independence of the Democratic Republic of Vietnam from Ba Dinh square.

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs, and the Ministry of Planning and Investment, the National Assembly and the President's palace are located near the mausoleum of Ho Chi Minh.

The exterior of the mausoleum is made of grey granite. The Ho Chi Minh Museum is located beside the mausoleum.

Answer: Iraq

Husayn ibn Ali was the son of Fatima, the daughter of Muhammad. He became the Imam of Shia Islam after the death of his brother Hasan ibn Ali. The Battle of Karbala was fought between Husayn ibn Ali and Yazidi I, the Umayyad caliph. The battle resulted from the coronation of Yazid I as the caliph after his father Muawiyah I's death, which Imam Husayn viewed as a violation of a treaty between Imam Hasan and Muawiyah I. Imam Husayn was killed and beheaded in this battle, and his family was killed as well. The Imam Husayn Shrine is one of the holiest sites to Shi'a Muslims, many of whom make a pilgrimage to this place on the day of Ashura, the death anniversary of Imam Husayn.

The Muslim festival of Muharram is celebrated on Ashura.

Answer: Sakai

Emperor Nintoku was the sixteenth emperor of Japan. The major achievements of his reign are described in the Nihon Shoki, the second oldest book on classical Japanese history.
Daisen Kofun is the largest grave in the world by area and in total covers an area of 460,000 square metres. The base of Daisen Kofun is 486 metres long and the mound is 35 metres high. The word 'kofun' refers to the large megalithic tombs constructed in Japan during the kofun period from the 3rd to 7th century AD. Keyhole-shaped mounds are a distinctive feature of kofun.
Sakai is a city in the prefecture of Osaka and is situated on the edge of Osaka Bay.

Answer: Jahangir

The tomb of Babur, the founder of the Mughal empire in India, is located at Bagh-e-Babur, or Gardens of Babur, in Kabul. The tomb of Humayun, the son of Babur, is located in Delhi. It also houses the tomb of Dara Shikoh. It was commisioned by Humayun's wife Bega Begum.

The tomb of Akbar is located at Sikandra, Agra, in the state of Uttar Pradesh. The tomb of his wife Mariam is located about one kilometre from his tomb. The tomb of Jahangir is located at Shahdara Bagh, Lahore, in modern-day Pakistan, on the banks of the river Ravi.

The tomb of Aurangzeb is located at Khuldabad, in Maharashtra, India. Unlike the tombs of the other emperors, Aurangzeb's tomb is simple and not decorated.