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Home / Interesting Places / Catacombs of Kom el Shoqafa
A 2nd-century underground necropolis where Egyptian, Greek, and Roman art meet — carved deep beneath Alexandria and once counted among the Seven Wonders of the Middle Ages.جبّانةٌ تحت الأرض من القرن الثاني، يلتقي فيها الفنّ المصري واليوناني والروماني — منحوتةٌ في أعماق الإسكندرية، وعُدّت يومًا من عجائب العصور الوسطى السبع.
Beneath the streets of Alexandria lies one of the most extraordinary monuments of the ancient world: the Catacombs of Kom el Shoqafa. Carved deep into the rock in the 2nd century AD, this vast underground necropolis is famous above all for its art, which blends Egyptian, Greek, and Roman styles into something found nowhere else on Earth. Lost for centuries and rediscovered by chance, it was long counted among the Seven Wonders of the Middle Ages — and remains one of Alexandria's most haunting and beautiful sights.
تحت شوارع الإسكندرية يقع أحد أعجب آثار العالم القديم: مقابر كوم الشقافة. منحوتةٌ في عمق الصخر في القرن الثاني الميلادي، وتشتهر هذه الجبّانة الواسعة تحت الأرض قبل كل شيء بفنّها الذي يمزج الطُّرز المصرية واليونانية والرومانية في شيءٍ لا نظير له في الأرض. ضاعت قرونًا ثم اكتُشفت مصادفة، وعُدّت طويلًا من عجائب العصور الوسطى السبع — وتظلّ من أكثر معالم الإسكندرية إثارةً وجمالًا.
A City of the Dead Underground · مدينةٌ للموتى تحت الأرض
Three levels carved beneath the city.ثلاثُ طبقاتٍ محفورة تحت المدينة.
The catacombs plunge several levels deep into the bedrock — around 35 metres at their lowest, where the bottom level now lies flooded. Visitors descend by a spiral staircase that winds around a central shaft, once used to lower the bodies of the dead. Below open a series of chambers: a circular rotunda, a banquet hall (triclinium) where relatives gathered for funerary feasts in honour of the deceased, and corridors lined with hundreds of burial niches. The cool, silent halls feel a world away from the city above.
A Fusion of Three Worlds · امتزاج ثلاثة عوالم
Art unlike anywhere else in the world.فنٌّ لا مثيل له في أي مكان آخر.
What makes Kom el Shoqafa unique is its blending of cultures. In the principal tomb, Egyptian gods are carved in Greek and Roman style — most famously the jackal-headed Anubis depicted as a Roman legionary, in armour, a startling hybrid of two worlds. Egyptian funerary figures stand beside Greek-style statues and Roman decoration, mirroring the mixed society of Alexandria itself, where Egyptians, Greeks, and Romans lived side by side. Nearby lies the so-called Hall of Caracalla, adding to the site's rich and layered story.
Rediscovery & Significance · الاكتشاف والأهمية
Lost for centuries, then revealed.ضاعت قرونًا ثم تكشّفت.
The catacombs had been forgotten for centuries when, by local tradition, they were rediscovered in 1900 after a donkey reportedly fell through the ground into the buried chambers. Excavation revealed one of the largest Greco-Roman burial sites in Egypt, begun as a family tomb and expanded into a vast public necropolis. Its blend of styles and its scale made it so celebrated that it was numbered among the Seven Wonders of the Middle Ages, and it remains a key to understanding Roman-era, multicultural Alexandria.
Visiting · الزيارة
A short, atmospheric stop in Alexandria.محطّةٌ قصيرةٌ مفعمة بالأجواء في الإسكندرية.
The catacombs lie in the Karmouz district of Alexandria, and a visit takes about an hour. They sit close to other ancient landmarks such as Pompey's Pillar, so the two are easily combined into a half-day of Greco-Roman Alexandria. The lowest level is usually closed because of flooding, but the upper chambers and the main tomb are fully accessible. The cool underground air makes it a pleasant stop even in summer; photography rules can vary, so check on arrival.
Quick Facts · حقائق سريعة
Sources include Egyptian heritage and travel guides. Some details, such as the rediscovery story, come from local tradition.