Within weeks, a severed head appeared in front of his tomb with a red flower tucked behind the ear, and the remains of a body nearby in a black plastic bag.

He describes the beds as "concrete tombs" with a very thin mattress.

But so far, he said, Syria’s new overseers have been unfailingly polite, announcing soon after their arrival on the mosque loudspeaker that residents could come visit the tomb without harassment.

Over time, larger communal tombs emerged, reflecting a shift toward burying extended family groups or community members.

Angry, Michelangelo fled Rome without finishing the pontiff’s future tomb, causing the piqued and panicked pope to send men to drag him back.