The catacombs of Kom El Shoqafais a historical archaeological site located in Alexandria, Egypt, and is considered one of the Seven Wonders of the middle Ages.
The necropolis consists of a series of Alexandrian tombs, statues and archaeological objects of the Pharaonic funeral cult with Hellenistic and early Imperial Roman influences. Due to the time period, many of the features of the catacombs of Kom El Shoqafa merge Roman, Greek and Egyptian cultural points; some statues are Egyptian in style, yet bear Roman clothes and hair style whilst other features share a similar style. A circular staircase, which was often used to transport deceased bodies down the middle of it, leads down into the tombs that were tunneled into the bedrock during the age of the Antonine emperors (2nd century AD). The facility was then used as a burial chamber from the 2nd century to the 4th century, before being rediscovered in 1900 when a donkey accidentally fell into the access shaft. To date, three sarcophagi have been found, along with other human and animal remains which were added later. It is believed that the catacombs were only intended for a single family, but it is unclear why the site was expanded in order to house numerous other individuals.
Another feature of the catacombs is the Hall of Caracalla, which contains the bones of horses which were the tombs created for the horses of the emperor Caracalla in 215 AD.
Situated just to the west of Pompey's Pillar, the Catacombs of Kom El Shuqafa are the largest and most important burial site in Egypt. They date back to the Greco Roman period. Kom El Shuqafa, or the hill of treasures in the Arabic language, was unearthed by chance in the beginning of the 20th century.
Being the most important Greco Roman necropolis in Egypt, the Catacombs of Kom El Shuqafa have a mixture of Roman, Hellenistic, Pharaonic, and ancient Egyptian decorative art, elements that were all common during this period in Alexandria.
Dating back to the 2nd century AD, this necropolis was dug inside the rock to a depth of 35 meters (115 feet). It consists of three levels, all located under the ground level. However, due to flooding that occurred in this area, the lowest level is now inaccessible.
About Ancient Alexandria
The city of Alexandria was originally established by Alexander the Great, the most famous Greek King and army leader, in 332 B.C. It soon became the cultuand commercial center of the Mediterranean Sea region.
The city of Alexandria in Egypt is among another 34 more cities that were named after Alexander the Great, who was one of the greatest conquerors in history.
Ancient Alexandria was located to the west of the west branch of the Nile, near the ancient Egyptian village of Rakotis and the thin strip of land between the Mediterranean Sea and the lagoon of the vast area, which is now called Lake Mariut. The new city of Alexandria, in the 4th century BC was built by Deinokrates and was featured for the fact that the Greek and the Pharaonic cultures lived side by side and even mingled together in some areas like the Catacombs of Kom El Shuqafa in particular.
This mingling between Greco Roman and ancient Egyptian cultures resulted in a new Alexandrian culture which spread all over the regions on the Mediterranean Sea. The city greatly flourished during the Ptolemaic period, named after its founder Ptolemy I, who took control of Alexandria and many other cities after the death of Alexander the Great at the beginning of the 4th century B.C. As time passed by, Alexandria, nicknamed the Athens of Africa, became the official capital of Egypt and the most important commercial and cultural hub in the entire Middle East. Alexandria retained its position and remained as the capital of Egypt until the death of Cleopatra. Shortly afterward the Romans took control of the city, and of Egypt in general, to add the country to their already large and expanding empire.
The Royal Cemetery of Kom El-shouqafa
The Catacombs (meaning underground tunnels) lie in the district of Karmouz to the east of Alexandria. The area was called Kom El-Shouqafa or pile of shards. The cemetery dates back to the 1st century A.D. and was used until the 4th century A.D. It was discovered in 1900 when, by pure chance, a donkey-drawn cart fell into a pit, which led to the discovery.
The Catacombs in Alexandria called that because the design was very similar to the Christian Catacombs of Rome. The Alexandrian catacombs were most likely a private tomb, later converted to a public cemetery. It consists of three burial chambers with three recesses on it and in each recess there is a sarcophagus.
As well, the Catacombs contain a large number of Luculi or grooves cut in the rock, where coffins are stored. For a long time the 2nd level of the tomb was closed for visitors because it was submerged in underground water but after decreasing the level of the subsoil water in 1995, the 2nd level was opened to visitors. The lowest level is still submerged. The entrance leads to a spiral staircase of 99 steps that goes around a shaft, which was used to lower the body of the deceased, by means of ropes, to prevent any damages to it. Some slits were cut into the sides of the shaft to allow the daylight through to the staircase that was used by the visitors. The staircase leads to a vestibule with two niches on both sides. The top of each niche is in the shape of a shell, while the inferior part contains a half round bench, cut into the rock, which was used by the visitors to take some rest after descending the stairs of the tomb.
The vestibule leads to a circular hall called the "rotunda". In the center of this hall, a shaft was cut leading to the 2nd story of the tomb and surrounded by a small enclosure wall called the "parapet", on top of which is a dome, supported by six pillars. Between the pillars, there were some figures of human heads, some of which were discovered and transferred to the Greco-Roman Museum in Alexandria. To the left of the rotunda is a vestibule which leads to a chamber. The chamber was also cut into the rock and its ceiling is supported by 4 pillars. It contains 3 benches, again cut in the rock, and takes the shape of the letter U. This chamber was called the "Triclinium". Most probably, the room was dedicated for visitors, and is where they would have dined.
Before accessing the main chamber there are 2 corridors, one in the east and the other in the west, each one leading to a large number of Luculi. After you descend to the hall that passes the Rotunda there is a small hall in front. In this vestibule, we see to the east a statue of a man inside a niche; while to the west there is a statue of a woman inside a niche. Both statues were sculpted in the Egyptian way, with some features of Greek art. 2 composite columns, containing a mixture of Egyptian and Greco-Roman elements, support the façade of this hall. Among the Egyptian elements is the winged sun disk, the Falcon God Horus, and the Uraeaus or the cobra, while the Greco-Roman elements are represented in the pediment, at top of the chamber.
The façade of the main burial chamber is decorated with some Greek elements, such as the shield of the Goddess Athena, on top of which is the head of Medusa. As we know, according to the ancient Greek myths, Medusa was able to petrify anyone who looked into her eyes. The representation of Medusa here was to protect the tomb.
Under Medusa is a huge serpent with a double crown. Once we enter the burial chamber, which was completely cut into the rock, we see 3 large recesses, each one containing a sarcophagus. The burial chamber has a vaulted roof supported by 4 square pillars whose capitals take the shape of Papyrus.
The Tomb of Tigrane
The Tomb of Tigrane is situated a few meters away from the main entrance to the catacombs. It is famous for its wall paintings with Pharaonic funerary motifs, mixed with some Greek symbols, and executed in the typical Alexandrian Hellenistic style. The Tomb of Tigrane dates back to the 1st century A.D. and was discovered in 1952. It is located inside a necropolis near Tigrane Pasha Street, now Por said Street, one of the most important routes of Alexandria nowadays, and was then transported to its present location today.
The Tomb of Wardian
Located a few meters away from the Tomb of Tigrane, the Tomb of Wardian got its name from the district of Wardian in Alexandria, in the western necropolis complex. The Tomb of Wardian was reconstructed in its present location and it consists of a small painted chapel that once hosted a marvelous statue of an ancient Egyptian goddess Isis.