Kom-el-Shouqafa
Kom-el-Shoqafa These are catacombs that can be found near the Serapeum.
They date from the 2nd century AD, and they are rock tombs. paintings are Greco-Roman Egyptian but the Egyptian style is predominant.
The Catacombs of Kom El Shoqafa: one of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World.
Catacombs of Kom El Shoqafa are the largest cemeteries from the Greco-Roman period in Egypt.
The catacombs are some of the most stunning monuments in Alexandria and are considered a
of the best preserved ruins in Egypt with features unlike those of other catacombs in the ancient world.
De catacomben bleven tot 1900 verborgen en volgens de overlevering werd de site puur toevallig
then discovered a donkey pulling a cart through a hole in the ground and falling into one of the catacombs.
The name Kom el Shoqafa comes from ancient Greek,
which means ‘mound of shards’ because this area used to contain a heap of terracotta shards,
such as pots and many other clay objects, usually used for drinking wine,
which were brought and left by those who visited the graves.
What makes this place special is that the underground tunnels’ mix of Roman, Hellenistic,
pharaonic and ancient Egyptian decorative arts, elements common to this period in Alexandria.
The catacombs consist of three levels, all carved into solid rock, and reach 100 feet below ground level.
Due to the flooding in this area, the third level is now completely underwater and inaccessible.
At the entrance to the catacombs, a spiral staircase with 99 steps leads into a shaft through which the bodies of
the deceased were lowered for burial. Another staircase leads to a room full of sculptures.
The facade of the main room is decorated with some Greek elements, including the shield of the goddess Athena,
and many mythical gods can be seen, such as Dionysus and the legendary Greek monster Medusa.
Medusa’s representation here was to protect the tomb.
Archaeologists believe that these catacombs were built in the 1st century AD.
and were used for burials until the 4th century AD.
It is also believed that the site was most likely a private tomb, built for a few wealthy families,
and only later was converted into a public cemetery
There is a fascinating mix of different ages with pharaonic and Roman devotions to the dead.
On the first level there is a corridor leading to one of the more gruesome features of the catacombs – the ‘Hall of Caracalla’.
This room was not intended as a grave but contains human and horse bones.
According to tradition, this site is a mass burial chamber containing the bones of young Christian men who were buried on the orders of Emperor Caracalla in 215 AD. have been slaughtered.
More than 300 mummies were buried in the tombs of Kom-el-Shoqafa.
