Archaeological sights in Alexandria
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Catacombs of Kom ash-Shuqqafa (Kom ash-Shuqqafa)
About five minutes' walk south of Pompey's Pillar are the Catacombs of Kom ash-Shuqqafa (Kom ash-Shuqqafa). Discovered accidentally in 1900 when a donkey disappeared through the ground, these catacombs are the largest known Roman burial site in Egypt. This impressive feat of engineering was one of the last major works of construction dedicated to the religion of ancient Egypt.
Demonstrating Alexandria's hallmark fusion of Pharaonic and Greek styles, the architects used a Graeco-Roman approach in their construction efforts. The catacombs consist of three tiers of tombs and chambers cut into bedrock to a depth of 35m. The bottom level, some 20m below street level, is floode…
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Necropolis of Anfushi
If you're keen on tombs, and who isn't, check out the Necropolis of Anfushi, with five tombs dating back to the 2nd and 1st centuries BC. The two principal tombs contain some faded wall decoration intended to imitate marble and alabaster. Though not as eloquent as the catacombs of Kom ash-Shuqqafa, the Anfushi tombs reiterate the way the Greeks of Alexandria assimilated Egyptian beliefs into their funerary practices.
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Chatby Necropolis
The Chatby Necropolis is considered to be the oldest necropolis in Alexandria. Discovered in 1904, the burials here date from the 4th century BC, soon after the city's founding, and belong to the earliest generations of Alexandrians. Appropriately, if current archaeological thinking is correct, Alexander the Great may also have been interred here at one time.
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Mustafa Kamal Necropolis
Mustafa Kamal Necropolis has four tombs, two in mint condition, and is interesting for the Doric columns at their centre.
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