Catacombs of Kom el Shoqafa

The Catacombs of Kom El Shoqafa are a Roman-era necropolis in Alexandria, Egypt, considered one of the Seven Wonders of the Middle Ages and the largest known Roman burial site in Egypt. Dating to the 2nd century AD under the Antonine emperors, they were used until the 4th century. Rediscovered in 1900 when a donkey fell through an access shaft, the complex descends three levels to approximately 35 metres deep. A masterpiece of Greco-Egyptian syncretism, the tombs blend Pharaonic, Greek, and Roman artistic traditions -- featuring Egyptian gods in Roman dress and serpents wearing pharaonic crowns. Key chambers include a triclinium banquet hall, the Hall of Caracalla with human and horse bones, and a main burial chamber with three sarcophagi decorated with Medusa heads and reliefs of Anubis mummifying Osiris.