The Catacombs of Kom el-Shuqafa / Alexandria

The Catacombs of Kom el-Shuqafa / Alexandria. On the Northern Coast of Egypt, in the busy City of Alexandria lie the Catacombs of Kom el Shoqafa. The Arabic name for the Cemetary was influenced by the Greek name which was Lofus Kira, which translates into The Pottery Hill. The Tomb Caves were discovered in 1900. There is a avery interesting story that when the Tombs were discovered they were not by archeologists but by a Donkey. It is said that when the Donkey fell into one of the Tombs which was on the Site of an Ancient Village that was known as Rakotis, where a total of three hundred Bodies were found. The Stone Pillars and Walls were built by hand from Limestone which came from the surrounding Areas, using very simple tools. Desending from the shallow entrance, a ten meter cylindrical Staircase leads to the Triclinium , a Roman Banqueting Hall for the Families of the deceased, plus a Rotunda. The deceaseds Bodies were lowered down to the bottom of the Stairwell and then taken to the Main Cemetary for their Final Resting Place. However Kom al-Shuqafa was not the only Cemetary in Ancient Alexandria, as the Underground Tombs were a part of the City of the Dead in Ancient Egypt. The Arabic name which translates into English as the Mound of Potshards which eludes to the smashed plates and and dishes that covered the Area before the Tombs were discovered below. The considerable Complex of impressively decorated Tombs dates from the Roman Era and are depicted as one of the Seven Wonders of the Middle Ages. Having thought to have originally belonged to a single Rich Roman Family the Tombs of Kom Al-Shuqafa began to use it for Burials approx.. in the Second Century AD, however the Complex was greatly extended and it was used throughout the fourth Century AD. Consisting of a large amount of Graves, which also includes a Mass Grave of Animal as well as Human Remains, which is allocated to a Mass execution which was carried out in Alexandria by the Roman Emperor Caracalla in 215 AD, Arranged around a Central Spiral Staircase are the Tombs which leads down through several Levels. The Lower Levels unfortunately are flooded, but in the Areas that are accessible the Walls of the Tombs are majorly decorated. Displaying an unusual combination of Greek, Roman and Egyptian iconography given to the Era of their construction. The Roman Emperor was in power in Egypt in the early centuries AD, but the influencies of Ancient Egypt and the Greek Culture, which was due to the legacy of Alexandria and the Ptolomies, still remained strong. The anatomy which is carved into the Walls of the Tombs often mixes the forms of Ancient Egyptian Gods with Romas and Greek dress or Creatures from Roman and Greek Mythology including Pharaonic Symbols.