How cultures design cemeteries and bury their dead varies from one culture to another.

That said, while the details of these cemeteries may be different, they all serve as reminders that laying our dead to rest is a cultural experience we all share.

Question:

What is the World's largest cemetery?

A) Abraham Lincoln National Cemetery - Elwood, Illinois

B) Calverton National Cemetery - Calverton, New York

C) Wadi al-Salaam - Najaf, Iraq

D) Catacombs of Paris - Paris, France

And the answer is....

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Answer: C) Wadi al-Salaam

Wadi al-Salaam spans 2266 acres and about 5 million people are buried there.

Wadi al-Salaam is a very important place for many Shia Muslims. This is because it’s located on a spot that Imam Ali, a major figure in Shia Islam, supposedly declared to be the gateway to Paradise.

This is why many Shia Muslims aspire to be buried here when they die. Approximately 50,000 people are buried here every single year,

Abraham Lincoln National Cemetery is 982 acres with ~65,000 buried there.

Calverton National Cemetery is 1045 acres with ~220,000 buried there.

And, while technically not a cemetery, the Catacombs of Paris Calverton span almost 6 miles and hold ~ 5 million partial human remains.

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