The Catacombs are underground tunnels dating back to the Roman period. It is located in the city of Alexandria. The Catacomb was a cemetery for one family and then became a public cemetery.
The catacombs are called Kom Al-Shuqafa because when the Arabs came to this area, they found many pottery pieces in the place. The word Kom is an Arabic word meaning a hill, while the word Al-Shaqafa means many pieces of pottery.
The catacombs were discovered in 1900 by chance when a donkey fell into the hole. These tombs are mixing between ancient Egyptian art and Greco-Roman art.
It consists of 3 floors that include tombs carved in the rock on the first and second floors. They can be reached by a spiral staircase at a depth of 35 meters around the well, but the third floor cannot be reached because it is drenched in groundwater.
The first floor contains a circular hall with a vaulted ceiling, then a Triclinium hall with 4 columns and 3 settees taking the shape of a U letter. It is believed that this hall was used by visitors to eat. Then the Holy Horse Hall, where horse bones were found, and it is believed that these horses were used in horse races.
The second floor contains the main sarcophagus and two statues. It is believed that they belong to the original owners of the catacomb.
A few meters from the catacombs, there is the tomb of Tigran dating back to the first century AD and was discovered in 1952. This tomb is characterized by its murals executed in the Hellenistic style.
you can visit the catacombs with Alexandria Attractions