Of all the visitors who come to Egypt, few think about going to Alexandria and that is indeed a pity. Alexandria has many historic sites, beautiful buildings and is a city where I would love to spend a few days holiday myself – given the time. The Catacombs of Kom El Shoqafa in Alexandria were quite a surprise to me – being the first catacombs I have ever been in. A word of warning to anyone intending visiting this ancient burial place – you need to be very sure footed because if you slip, it’s a long, long way down and in some parts of the staircase the steps are not uniform in depth.
Picture descending into the underworld of Alexandria—down a spiral staircase cut deep into the rock, where shadows play on ancient stone walls and history seems to breathe from every corner. The Catacombs of Kom El Shoqafa, buried under centuries of mystery, offer a journey like no other in Egypt and I must confess I had done no research at all on this place prior to my first visit. The thought that perhaps we should not even be there did cross my mind.
Dating back nearly 2,000 years, this vast subterranean maze blends Egyptian, Greek, and Roman cultures in a way that’s unique to Alexandria. It’s as if these ancient peoples conspired to leave behind clues to a city that was a true crossroads of the ancient world. The catacombs would have been in use during the time of Roman Emperor Hadrian who liked to blend cultures and it’s possible that which influenced some of the work in the catacombs.
Descending into Alexandria’s Secret World
The journey begins with a spiral staircase carved directly into the rock, winding down into a rotunda—a circular hall at the heart of the catacombs. Here, torches once flickered against walls, illuminating the carved faces of gods and guardians, watching over the dead. The staircase itself is like a bridge between worlds, spiraling you away from the sunlit city above into a mystical underworld below.
A Fusion of Gods and Soldiers
As I entered the burial chambers, I noticed an astonishing cultural fusion etched into the stone. I was a little confused and not sure what to make of it all – Egyptian gods like Anubis and Osiris dressed not as pharaohs but as Roman soldiers, clad in tunics and armor.
The imagery felt almost like something out of a fantasy novel, or a badly researched Hollywood Movie (“Gods of Egypt” come to mind), a god of the dead dressed as a warrior, a Roman tribute to Egyptian beliefs.
The Banquet of the Dead
In one chamber is the triclinium, a rare, solemn banquet hall where the families of the deceased once gathered to honor their loved ones in true Roman fashion, dining and drinking in remembrance. Here, families would feast in the presence of the dead, believing that this shared ritual bridged the gap between worlds.
Myths Carved in Stone
Throughout the catacombs there are reliefs and statues that merge Egyptian and Greek beliefs into a new mythology. Carvings of Medusa mix with Egyptian deities, and figures wear both the ankh of Egypt and the laurel wreath of Rome. It’s like the walls are telling the tale of an ancient cultural romance—Greek, Egyptian, and Roman symbols woven together in stone.
An Ancient Labyrinth of Life and Death
Finally, the catacombs stretch out through a maze of passageways, some of which are partially submerged by groundwater, a silent reminder of the Nile’s eternal presence and power. Shelves hold urns and other containers in which lie bones of the dead. Stone sarcophagi line the rooms, their original occupants long gone but their stories waiting to be rediscovered. Wandering from space to space here made me feel like I had stepped into a lost, sacred space where the living and the dead once mingled and I felt a twinge of sadness that their stories had been lost to time.
The Catacombs of Kom El Shoqafa are more than a burial site; they’re a time capsule of ancient Alexandria, layered with the remnants of multiple worlds. It’s a place where gods, warriors, and families continue to rest, guarding their secrets under layers of rock and history, inviting only the curious to unravel them.