Catacombs of Kom El Shoqafa In Alexandria
Dating from the 2nd century AD, the catacomb complex of Kom ash-Shuqqafa just south of Pompey’s Pillar is the largest Graeco-Roman necropolis in Egypt. Dug into the rock to a depth of about 35 m (115 ft), the tomb complex has three levels. However, flooding has made the lowest level inaccessible.
The catacombs are reached via a spiral staircase encircling a shaft down which bodies of the deceased were lowered. On the first level, there is a 400;”>central rotunda and a large banquet hall, the Triclinium, where friends and relatives of the deceased gathered to pay their last respects.
To the east of the rotunda is the Caracalla Hall, an older burial complex that became accessible from the main chamber when tomb robbers broke through the wall. This area is dedicated to Nemesis, the goddess of the sport.
From the central rotunda, stairs lead down to a second story with a vestibule and burial chamber. Here the decorated sarcophagi and wall reliefs display a mixture of Egyptian, Roman and Greek styles: by the doorway, Anubis, the god of the dead, is shown as a Roman legionary with a dragon’s tail. On either side of the burial chamber, below heads of Medusa, are carved two giant serpents, wearing the double crown of Egypt.
From the burial chamber, eerie passages lead off in all directions to rooms containing more than 300 loculi – small chambers for bodies.
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