Arafat Mausoleum

Yasser Arafat's mausoleum sits within the Muqataa compound in Ramallah, the seat of the Palestinian Authority. Arafat — co-founder of the PLO and longtime Palestinian leader — died in Paris in November 2004 under disputed circumstances and was interred here, though his stated wish had been burial in Jerusalem. The white marble sarcophagus rests in an open courtyard under a permanently flying Palestinian flag, flanked by an honor guard on round-the-clock duty. In 2012, Swiss forensic scientists detected elevated levels of polonium-210 on his personal belongings, reigniting long-standing suspicions about the cause of his death and making the site a focal point of ongoing political memory. Entry is free.