Catacombs of Kom el Shoqafa |
The Catacombs of Kom el Shoqafa
Photo courtesy of sayedaburas on virtualtraveller.com
What: |
a series of tombs for the Pharaonic Funeral Cults. Kom El-Shuqafa is an Arab translation of the name, Lofus Kiramaikos, meaning "Mound of Shards" or "Potsherds" in ancient Greek. The tomb has helenistic and early Imperial Rome influences. It begins with a circular staircase that leads you down into a room boasting a mixture of Egyptian and Roman art. At the bottom of the stairs, to the left leads you into a funeral hall where the families and friends sit on stone couches and remember the deceased. The motif includes a classical shell design on the landing, with two benches carved into the wall. From there we can see a rotunda with 6 pillars and a staircase descending another level filled with sculptures. There are two pillars with the papyrus, lotus, and ancathus leaves, a symbol of Ancient Egypt, and then a man and a woman, the man's body is in an egyptian pose as is the woman's but both their heads carry roman features and styles. If you go back up to the first level, a hallway leads to the hall of Caracalla, a room that was originally not intended for burial, but nonetheless consists of human and horse bones. |
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Where: |
Alexandria, Egypt |
| When: | The 2nd to 4th centuries, it was used as an active burial ground. |
| Why: | It was originally intended as a tomb for one family, but was expanded in the 4th century when it was in active use. |
| Interesting fact: | The catacombs were discovered on September 28, 1900, when an unfortunate donkey tripped in a crevice and fell through to the bottom floor. |