The word "mausoleum" is derived from an ancient Persian king, King Mausolus. King Mausolus wanted very much to have a humongous memorial to himself when he died, so he built a massive building into which he expected his body to be interred upon death. Having started a trend, many other rulers followed suit, building giant, above ground tombs to honor themselves for all eternity.

Today, not just kings are interred in mausoleums. Most "common folk" are interred in massive, above-ground tombs, too. Here is why you might choose to be interred in a mausoleum yourself.

You Have Become Famous

The graves of famous people are almost always targeted by grave robbers. They dig up the dead and famous for souvenirs and/or gruesome items to sell to crazed fans on internet auction sites. To protect oneself, many famous people either opt for cremation, or for entombment in a mausoleum or crypt. (A crypt is a small mausoleum for just family. It has a locking door and barring gates to protect the remains stored inside.) If you obtain wealth and fame in your lifetime, you might want to do the same.

There Is Something about Being Buried You Do Not Like

Many people are creeped out by the idea of being buried. Sure, you would not know your body is in the ground, but the idea is still disturbing to these folks. If you are creeped out by the idea of being buried in the ground and allowing nature to take its course through the decomp process, then you can be entombed in a mausoleum.

In a mausoleum, your coffin is left open a bit and your burial plaque remains off until you have fully disintegrated into a skeleton. The liquid parts of you dehydrate until your skin is like leather stretched over your bones. Then your coffin is pulled out again, sealed, and placed back into its hole in the wall. Your memory plaque seals the tomb.

You Want Your Relatives to Have a Safe, Dry Place to Visit You

Being entombed in a mausoleum means that your living relatives can visit you during mausoleum hours. They can come into the building where it is dry and safe. Rain or shine, your memorial can be visited. There is also no way for them to be attacked or surprised by would-be grave robbers because the mausoleum has video cameras in place for security.

Visit a site like http://www.hartmanmem.com/ for more help.