13 – Tomb of Qin Shi Huang, China

You’ll no doubt be familiar with the iconic faces of the underground army of terracotta warriors at Xi’an; one of the most incredible archaeological discoveries of all time. Though this ancient site sees thousands of tourists descend in their droves, not many are aware that buried deep beneath them, lies an emperor in his mausoleum, surrounded by a river of poisonous mercury, who’s been undisturbed for more than 2000 years.

The tomb holds the body and the secrets of China’s first emperor, Qin Shi Huang, who died on Sept. 10, 210 B.C. No human being has ever stepped inside these sacred walls and it will likely stay that way for the foreseeable future. We can only ever imagine what treasures lie within…