A multi-level tomb in Tiberias, Israel, shows how one space may house the remains of several family members.
In Judaism, respectful care of human remains entails burial of the whole body – discussed in our previous post. Islam’s funeral requirements are almost identical. (See Zaufishan’s post on Moslem conventional and sea burial.) Use of land resources for cemeteries is indeed diminishing everywhere, and in Israel, a tiny country that could comfortably fit into the dimensions of New Jersey, the problem is becoming acute. Maurice discussed the advantages of burial at sea, but we agree it’s unlikely to become fashionable in Israel. And without efficient burial methods, cemeteries will soon crowd living people out, especially in big cities like Tel Aviv.
Commenter Esther Hecht pointed us in the direction of innovative Israeli solutions in the quest for sustainable burials. The concept is called dense burials, and is the project of architects Uri Ponger and Tuvia Sagiv.
Dense burials include multi-level graves like the one pictured above; apartment-style buildings where each floor contains many graves; terraced graveyards and use of abandoned quarries for hillside burials. All have been sanctioned by the Israeli Rabbinate and are regularly used.
In an interview with Green Prophet, Ponger said,
“In 1968, I was finishing my architectural studies in Germany. My professor, Egond Eirman, discussed the problem of space for burials with the class. He told us that corpses would lie in morgues for weeks sometimes, until space was found or made to bury them.”
Returning to Israel, Ponger teamed up with Sagiv to specialize in dense burial. Old graves carved into hillsides, and remains of crypts, show that the ancients appreciated land as a resource to sustain. Taking inspiration from them to a modern level, Ponger and Sagiv created a system of niche graves built into hillsides in multiple tiers. This video clip (narration in Hebrew) shows a typical burial using this concept. An interesting feature is the re-usable coffin.
“Each ethic group has its own way of conducting a burial,” says Ponger. “In Jerusalem, there are 11 different burial societies – one for Persian Jews, one for a certain chassidic group, one for Modern Orthodox people, etc., – but all agree that, halachic requirements being met, dense burial is permitted.
Re-cycling graves, where the bones are gathered a year after burial and placed in crypts, is not permitted at this time. I believe, however, that in future generations this will be the only solution to space-efficient burials.”
The dense burial idea has impressive results. Conventional “field” burial acomodates 250 graves per dunam. With dense burial, as many as 1000 graves can fit on (or in) the same space. Ponger and Sagiv also say that dense burial sites cost the government more to develop initially, but in the end cost less to operate and maintain.
Niche tombs in Jerusalem.
More cheerful news on death and dying on Green Prophet:
- Facebook’s “If I Die” video clips
- The Oldest Iranian Is Dying
- Why air pollution kills 27 people daily in Teheran
Photo of multi-level tomb by hoyasmeg via Flickr.
:: Esther Hecht
Author: Miriam Kresh
Miriam Kresh is an American ex-pat living in Israel. Her love of Middle Eastern food evolved from close friendships with enthusiastic Moroccan, Tunisian and Turkish home cooks. She owns too many cookbooks and is always planning the next meal. Miriam can be reached at miriam (at) greenprophet (dot) com.
Taking off on the idea of vertical burials( or to a lesser degree horizontal)— if the dead body is sealed, encased in concrete or stone and sealed why does it need to be in a cemetery. I suppose there are those that will think I am strange for suggesting this but why not use
6 foot long cases inside stone as arches, as part of a buildings, a gigantic magen david, or chanukah menorah or work of art. My husband and like the idea of being inside a tall arch.
For the one year burial crowd. I saw this at the monastery Santa Katarina in Sinai before it was returned to Egypt, There were i believe 6 graves. Each time a monk died they dig up the ‘last in’ body
took it apart and had rooms of body parts.. a skulls only room for example. Very creepy
When this Old World starts getting you down. From Pollution the cost of OIL,
Heating Fuel,The Fuel you put in your Vehicles, You Electric Bills from
cooling air conditioners and lights not to speak of the Evil. The TAX that all
Governments Federal, State, County and City put on everything they can thing of.
They are supposed to serve us. Not put a burden on its people. That they are
elected to serve all the people you, not their own Pocket Books.
The Wicked keep putting higher taxes on everything. Making it a Heavy
Burden on many that are already struggling just to put food on the table.
Too many Americans have lost their home to the tax collector or to foreclosures
from the unjust bankers greed. More are out of work and lost their homes then
in the GREAT DEPRESSION,in the last ten years. All Americans and many Nations
need good jobs and more of them. Not more TAXES.
There is a Industry that will employ workers and is growing by more then 50%
every year. There is a clear way for all up on the roof the Sun Light is free
fuel from GOD. Some wicked in Government have been backing Coal, Oil, Gas and
the Nuclear industries for too many years. These kickbacks to them were called
Subsidizing Industry Technology. Most all Wise Men and smart Economist and
Environmentalists call this padding their pockets and subsidizing back to the
Stone Age.
This might even been funny in the 1960′s. If it were a Fred Flintstones and
Barny Rubble Movie. About How to aggressively systematically work with the rich
to Pollute Ground Water quality to the point it is unsafe to drink or use.
So to they make a law you can only buy water from their pipe line. And to make
the air we breath full of Toxic Gases, Sulfur Dioxide and more Radioactive
and Acid Rain. Injuring all living things on Earth.
With Fred Flintstones to the Rescue. To help create a Healthier Environment.
For all Future Generations. By spotlighting Renewable Energy and Free Energy
like Wind and Solar. On his and his neighbor Barny Rubble’s roof. Even though
the greedy wicked would do everything to stop or slow them down.
Just imagine a dream that a 100 years ago one of the smartest man to ever
live had. A dream after working with Sun Light. That all on Earth would use
Free Energy Solar Energy.
That Dream also shared by a man that dreamed this over 2,250 years ago.
Both These men showed the world in their days. That this dream of Free Energy
Solar Energy World wide was very possible. Both of these two wise men had
first hand worked and researched their experiments for not just days, weeks
put for many years.
One of these men used chalk on Black Board the others board was a black
stone table or floor covered with white sand and used a stick. One of these
two Brilliant men had Kings from all most every Kingdom on Earth come to him
for advice.
The other went to almost every nation on Earth. Freely on his own dime
Teaching All that had ears to hear. He would win the Nobel Prize for doing so.
For his work on Solar Energy. Only after years of doing research and when most
Scientist on Earth would not take the nomination for the Nobel Prize in 1921
this Brilliant scientist was awarded it in 1922 for the 1921 year.
Now if this was just a Pretend TV Show or a Movie from a dream. This would
be a great Sci Fi Story Line. In the 1960′s or even better to day. Sci Fi story
Movie or dream No.
All that i Have told you did actually really happen. Albert Einstein won the
Nobel Prize for what? When Government leaders asked him to go on stage. To
address the Scientific Community and the World. About what he was given the
Nobel Prize for. When Albert Einstein Had done so. He addressed them with his
other accomplishments. For years most Governments did not have a ear for
Einstein’s Dream.
Archimedes around 250 B.C. was know most of the World over as a great
Mathematician. One of the first Scientist and Inventor of many things. Even
the first Laser Ray from the Sun’s Energy. Science Fiction is what you would
have though you were seeing if you could go back in time, it was real.To day
we call it The LASER, Light Amplification by Stimulated Emission. Back then it
was just called Amplification of the SUN Archimedes Death Ray.
Thousand of years later it would be a Laser. That Albert Einstein help
make possible. That would unlock one of the first books on Earth.
The METHOD written by Archimedes. Then over more then 250 years later. When
well Faded was cut from a scroll and put into a book form, to be easier to
hide from the Romans by St. Paul. This book sold for over 2 million dollars.
In New york at Christie’s Auction House.
These two are at the top of the list of the World’s Greatest Scientists,
Viewed by Scientist around the World.
Sad that for the last 25 years or so of every teacher asked no matter what
Grade k through 16. 80% of them did not know Archimedes. Even sadder 90%
of them could not tell you what one of the most Brilliant Scientist to ever
live on Earth. Won the Nobel Prize for.
It was for the work Albert Einstein did to show the World it could get
Free Energy, Electric from the SUN. PHOTOVOLTAICS
You ask this question to any Military general 95% of them will get it right.
Even more surprising 99% of them will know more about Archimedes then most
Teachers on Earth. Generals know Energy is the key to Winning.
At almost one thousand to one Archimedes always won against what all knew was
impossible odds. Archimedes home town city of Syracuse was victorious against the
greatest Kingdoms Armies on earth many times. Syracuse once was one of the most
powerful cities in the World.
I can only ask you to please look into Solar Energy, Solar Power, Solar Panels
and Solar array on the internet under Images. To see and explore for your self
then you be the JURY.
More then 10 years ago the Internet became most of the World’s Universities
Learning Platform. A Modern Day Archimedes Resource Center.
The Solar Energy Industry in the year 2010 has leaped ahead farther and
faster then any other industry on Earth. The Solar Industry in the
United States of America alone, has grown by more then 50% in 2010 and it looks
like that number will go up even higher this year 2011.
The strong benefits of Solar Energy is Clear Clean Air viewed in major cities
as improving air quality. Clean Cities. By all that use there brain for good .
View it as protecting the environment and Freedom from OIL.
While the Federal Government has eased the Tax on Renewable Energy till the end
of this year 2011. Some cities in the states that these Legislators come from have
worked against these tax credits.
By doing so they are showing their true objectives. That they have stock in some power plants and do not want to lose all that Money they have been taking out of your pocket books for too many years. By taxing you on your Energy Bills. They want to Control Power and Tax Everything they can. Not let People be free to get their own power from the top of their own roofs.
By adding their own taxes to them. These wicked leaders think that this will take away the incentives to harvest the Free Energy from the Sun.
The Public ability and awareness for all on Earth to use the Natural Solar Energy, is Contributing to Production of Solar Energy Products. Making the Solar Energy Industry the fastest growing on Earth. A Wealth of Free Energy From The SUN.
The more the wicked try to slow the Solar Energy Industry down, it only Enhances
involvement and the efforts of the Good at Heart.
GOD Bless you for reading this.
The Lord’s little Helper
Paul Felix Schott
PS
through out History Many have tried to wipe the good from our history books.
Read the Bible Jesus will Bless you more then i can.
Interesting article. But what you have not considered is vertical burial.
Image: the space of a traditional grave (about 2.5m x 0.75m = 1.88 sq.m) for a single person’s body could accomodate about 8 bodies, if each were lowered vertically (say in a biodegradable tube) into the same space.
This is really fascinating. Thank you. I’m imagining a “city of the dead” – a whole city full of apartment buildings turned graveyard!
Tafline, yes, the drawing of the project really does remind one of a necropolis.
Nice article, Miriam. I’m glad you picked up the idea.
I don’t know how quickly Israel will adopt the ancient idea of gathering bones to make room for new burials, but it would certainly help solve the space crunch. That kind of gathering may be what was meant by the biblical phrase “gathered to his fathers.”
Thank you, Esther. It’s been an interesting piece of research.
Hm, had never thought to take that phrase in a literal sense!