Yarauvi- Magical Dead Sea Necropolis of the Future
There’s nothing more pleasing than a well done necropolis, or city of the dead. When one thinks necropolis, he or she likely thinks of the ancient burial grounds of the past. But no no no, my pretties. Now there is a necropolis of the future!
Welcome Yarauvi, a necropolis designed to be built smack dab in the center of the Dead Sea. Significant location because it lies on the border of Israel and Jordon AND because it’s the Dead Sea — get it?
The Dead Sea is extremely buoyant, so the Yarauvi would be a giant floating bowl of dead people: “a place where any person—regardless of nationality, race, religion, age or affluence—can be laid to rest.” Like the International Space Station of corpses.
Hark! A boat approaches, like Charon symbolically ferrying us across the River Styx. Once inside Yarauvi, you find rings of sarcophagi facing one another in concentric circles.
Here’s how it would work:
“Families will bid farewell to their loved ones from a dock at the southern banks of the Dead Sea. From there, the dead, accompanied by a few mourners, will be transported to Yarauvi by boat. The boat enters the necropolis at its base and travels through a ceremonial unicursal labyrinth that leads to the center point of the necropolis, where the dead are lifted to the space above. The accompanying mourners will also enter the necropolis this one time, during the interment of their loved ones.”
If I didn’t have to be embalmed and shipped halfway around the world for this I would say sign me up. At least it’s an attempt to redefine multinational death and aesthetics, one “ceremonial unicursal labyrinth” at a time.
Yarauvi website and a tip of the hat to the Black Ribbon Blog.