The largest funerary structure of the Han era — Han Maoling — is also known as the “Great White Pyramid”, as it was described by an American pilot during a World War II flight as a pyramid topped with something shiny and white. It’s worth noting that the pyramids of the Giza Plateau were known to shine from great distances, especially from the air, due to their white limestone casing — so the pilot’s description comes as no surprise.
The structure has a trapezoidal shape with a rectangular base of 222 × 217 meters (about 728 × 712 feet) and a height of 47 meters (about 154 feet), making it the largest among more than 20 mausoleums of the Western Han dynasty.
The image shows the shape it would have if fully uncovered.
Construction began in 139 BCE and lasted 53 years, with one-third of the empire’s annual income devoted to the project. Around the mausoleum are smaller tombs of figures close to the emperor, such as the concubine Lady Li and the general Huo Qubing. Today, the artifacts are preserved in the Maoling Museum, which displays over 4,000 cultural items.
Studies from 1985 revealed the presence of gold deposits in the soil of the mausoleum, believed to be of naturally occurring sedimentary origin; deposited in ancient times.