The Catacombs of Kom el Shoqafa

Our first stop in Alexandria was at the catacombs of Kom el Shoqafa.

These were discovered in 1900 when a donkey pulling a cart full of scrap metal disappeared into the ground! They are the largest known Roman burial site in Egypt, consisting of three tiers of tombs and chambers cut into bedrock to a depth of 35 metres.

Entry to the catacombs is via a spiral staircase. Bodies would have been lowered on ropes down the centre of this circular shaft. The catacombs were originally constructed in the second century AD, probably by a rich Roman family and intended for their sole use. They would have had the principle tomb chamber decorated in a fusion of Greek and Pharaonic styles, and the triclinium, a banqueting hall where grieving relatives paid their last respects with a funeral feast.

Over the next 300 years, the catacombs were used by other families, including Christians and Muslims. More chambers were hacked out until the place became a warren holding 300 corpses.

Today, the lower tier of the catacombs lies below the water table. Between 500 and 600 square metres of water has to be pumped out every hour in order to keep them accessible.

When the catacombs were discovered, the skeletons were removed and reburied elsewhere. The only bones remaining in the tombs today are those of a horse belonging to one of the dead Romans. Ray was quite shocked when I told him that the catacombs in Paris are still full of human remains!Read more