Ancient Wonders of the World

Well of Souls

Located beneath the Sakrah (foundation stone) in the Dome of the Rock in Jerusalem is a natural cave. Islamics believe that Muhammed ascended to heaven from the stone, and that the Last Judgment will take place here. Jewish tradition believes that Abraham prepared to sacrifice his son here. It is said that the voices of the dead can be overheard mingling with the sounds of the Rivers of Paradise. Many also believe that the Ark of the Covenant lies hidden within this sanctuary. No one knows whether or not the Ark exists here since no archaeological digs can take place now. Although, in the 19th century, two explorers did try to find the existence of a chamber below the cave, and could find none. They concluded that the “sounds” people were hearing were nothing more than echoes resonating from a small fissure in the floor. If the Ark actually existed, it’s unlikely it could have survived the times, considering it was made of wood. But considering it was an object of Holy faith, and contained the Ten Commandments of God, many believe that anything is possible.

Army of the Dead

Posed to take battle at any moment are thousands of soldiers waiting for instructions from their dead king. Ying Zheng was only 13 when he became emperor. By the time he was 38, he had managed to unify warring kingdoms. He took on the name Qin Shi Huang Di (the First Emperor of Qin). In life, Emperor Qin was superstitious of death. He often took elixirs to “extend” his life. He ended up poisoning himself by ingesting mercury pills. The idea was that the mercury would make him immortal. If mercury was capable of absorbing gold, then a person who ingested could surely become a living god. When Qin ascended the throne, he had already begun construction on his tomb. More than 700,000 men worked on the tomb, but construction stopped a year after Qin’s death due to uprisings. Only 4 pits have been excavated. They are filled with terra-cotta soldiers, weapons, and chariots. The pits are estimated to contain over 8,000 figures, but no one really knows. Qin’s tomb itself has never been opened. What anthropologists and archaeologists know about it relies solely on the account of a court historian, Siam Qian. He suggested that Qin’s tomb contains great treasures, models of palaces, precious stones, and rarities of which have never been seen. His tomb is protected by rivers of mercury that replicate the area’s own rivers. Pearls are strewn about to represent the sun, moon, and stars. Tests have confirmed that mercury has been discovered in high concentrations. Remote sensing technology has also been used to probe the mound where it is thought Qin is buried. An underground chamber has been revealed, but further excavations are on hold considering the complexity of the burial. Who knows what lies inside the tomb of Qin’s burial.