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Catacombs of Kom el Shaqafa (552 words) |
 | Below it, however, are haunting reminders of a culture that existed 1,900 years ago: the Catacombs of Kom el Shoqafa, "Mound of Shards." Carved out of solid rock, three levels burrow into the ground near the sites of the ancient stadium, and the long- vanished temple to Serapis, a Greek and Egyptian god. |
| Only in 1900 was Kom el Shoqafa rediscovered after centuries - by a donkey that fell through a hole in the ground and into its access well. |
| In the late second century, when Kom el Shaqafa was an active burial site, bodies were lowered by rope down the well formed by the spiraling stairs. |
| Egyptian Journey 2003: Alexandria: Catacombs of Shouqafa (209 words) |
| In the middle of Alexandra is an unassuming stone building, almost covered in grass -- beneath which is the huge underground necropolis of the Catacomb of Shouqafa. |
| These catacombs were originally a private crypt, but were later extended with more roman burials. |
| These catacombs are called Shouqafa, Shoukkafa, es-Shoqafa -- a number of different anglicized spellings, depending on which book you are reading. |
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