The only part of the scheduled ceremony that went to plan was that Mr Arafat was buried before sundown, in a tomb hastily - but expertly - prepared for him in the space of a single day.

Earth from al-Aqsa mosque in Jerusalem was put around the coffin. It is a temporary structure, so that Mr Arafat can be one day reburied in al-Aqsa, if the political barriers come down.