The Catacombs (Kom El-Shoqafa)

An Overview of the Catacombs.


Situated just to the west of Pompey's Pillar, the Catacombs of Kom El Shoqafa 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 Shoqafa 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.


The Royal Cemetery of Kom El-shoqafa


The Catacombs (meaning underground tunnels) lie in the district of Karmouz to the east of Alexandria. The area was called Kom El-Shoqafa 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 grooves cut in the rock, where coffins are stored.


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.

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