Underground Cemetery in Jerusalem: Addressing a Burial Space Shortage in the Holy City

The idea of burying the deceased deep below ground level is nothing new. On the contrary, there are many examples of catacombs constructed for that purpose in ancient times. However, the first new such structure has been built in Jerusalem, simply because the city is running out of space to bury the dead directly below ground level. The massive facility has space for some 23,000 bodies, complies with Jewish religious law, and incorporates many high-tech innovations.
 
Quote: “Moving the dead underground is an idea [Israeli construction company] Rolzur wants to take worldwide, as growing cities have sprawled out to engulf cemeteries that were previously on the outskirts. The space later becomes unusable, as many graves lie unvisited. “You get these huge metropolitans with lifeless islands in between them,” said [Adi Alphandary, head of business development at Rolzur]. “We see this dilemma all over the world.”
 
Sources: Wikipedia, The Guardian
 
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Photo: Haaretz
 
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