Located beneath the district of Karmouz, the catacombs descend approximately 30–35 meters below the modern surface and are arranged on three levels, the lowest of which is now partially flooded. Access is gained through a large circular shaft encircled by a spiral staircase, which originally functioned both as a light well and as a mechanism for lowering bodies into the subterranean chambers. The complex exhibits a striking fusion of cultural motifs—Egyptian divine iconography appears alongside Greco-Roman sculptural forms and Roman dining architecture—reflecting the cosmopolitan environment of Alexandria between the second and fourth centuries CE.

circa 200 CE

The catacombs were most likely initiated in the 2nd century CE, probably under the Antonine emperors, though some archaeological interpretations suggest use beginning slightly earlier and extending into the 4th century. The earliest phase appears to have been intended for a single affluent Alexandrian family whose burial chambers became the nucleus of later expansions. Over time, additional corridors, loculi, and subsidiary chambers were added, transforming the site into a communal necropolis.

The modern name “Kom el-Shoqafa”, meaning “Mound of Shards,” derives from the heaps of broken pottery found above the site, interpreted as remnants of vessels used by visitors who consumed offerings and then shattered their containers before leaving. The catacombs were rediscovered in 1900 when a donkey reportedly fell through an opening, leading to the unearthing of the main shaft. Later conservation efforts, particularly in the 20th and early 21st centuries, addressed water infiltration that had submerged the lowest level. One satellite chamber, often called the Hall of Caracalla, contains disarticulated human and horse remains traditionally—but not universally—associated with the emperor Caracalla’s punitive actions in Alexandria in 215 CE.

circa 200 CE

The Kom el-Shoqafa catacombs are an intricately organized subterranean complex situated beneath the western necropolis of Alexandria, comprising three rock-cut levels, the lowest of which was historically submerged until modern restoration and drainage allowed partial access. Entry into the catacombs is gained via a spiral staircase that winds around a six-pillared central shaft, which opens directly into a rotunda serving as a transitional space between the surface and the primary funerary chambers. This rotunda functions as the organizing hub of the complex, mediating movement toward the main burial areas and ancillary spaces. From the rotunda, a vestibule leads visitors to a series of axial corridors that structure circulation throughout the site. On the left of the vestibule lies the triclinium, a funeral banquet hall where family and friends would recline on stone couches covered with cushions for commemorative feasts at the time of burial as well as on subsequent ritual occasions.

The principal burial suite, arranged symmetrically around a central hall, displays hybridized Egyptian, Greek, and Roman decorative elements, reflecting the syncretic cultural milieu of Roman Alexandria. The central burial chamber, located on the lowest level, is flanked by subsidiary loculi and sarcophagus niches, forming a concentric circulation pattern that accommodates multiple generations of interments while simultaneously reinforcing a formal spatial hierarchy. Practical concerns such as light penetration, ventilation, and water management were carefully integrated into the layout, ensuring both functional and symbolic coherence. Additionally, a breach in the rotunda wall, created at an unknown date, provides access to the first level’s Hall of Caracalla, a subsidiary chamber where archaeologists discovered the commingled remains of humans and horses.

Overall, the catacombs’ tripartite and multilayered design demonstrates a deliberate choreography of ritual movement, combining pragmatic considerations with a sophisticated funerary topography. Each architectural element—from the spiral staircase and central shaft to the rotunda, vestibule, triclinium, and subsidiary loculi—works in concert to guide visitors through a carefully structured mortuary landscape that simultaneously honors the dead and embodies the cultural synthesis characteristic of Alexandria during the Roman period.

circa 200 CE

Exedrae
The paired exedras connecting the descent stairs to the main funerary complex and approach to the rotunda in the Catacombs of Kom el-Shoqafa exemplify the complex architectural syncretism characteristic of Alexandrian funerary design in the early Roman period. Each exedra consists of a semicircular, bench-like recess carved directly into the bedrock, a form closely aligned with Roman triclinium and exedra typologies commonly associated with commemorative banqueting and ritual assembly. Their structural simplicity—defined by continuous curvilinear seating and framed by robust piers that support shallow, vaulted ceilings—demonstrates the adoption of Roman engineering conventions within the subterranean spatial constraints of the hypogeum.

Nevertheless, the surface treatment of the niches, including the radiating, shell-like ribbing carved into the upper registers, evokes Hellenistic decorative idioms widely employed in Alexandrian grotto and nymphaeum architecture. Embedded within a broader Egyptian ritual context, where tombs served as loci for ongoing cultic interaction with the dead, these exedras function as liminal spaces mediating between processional movement and ritual stasis. As such, they epitomize the fusion of Roman architectural form, Greek aesthetic vocabulary, and Egyptian funerary ideology that defines the corpus of Alexandrian catacomb architecture.

circa 200 CE

Rotunda
Descending the spiral stairway provides access into a circular rotunda that encloses the central shaft. The rotunda is bordered by a parapet supported by columns and acts as the axial hub of the complex. From this chamber, one proceeds either to the banquet hall, to the vestibule of the principal tomb, or to ancillary corridors. The rotunda’s function was transitional and ceremonial, creating an architectural threshold between surface life and the world of the dead.

circa 200 CE

Principal Tomb Chamber
The principal tomb of the Kom el-Shoqafa catacombs is fronted by a temple-like façade meticulously carved from the bedrock. The entrance is flanked by paired engaged columns crowned with hybridized capitals combining papyrus, lotus, and acanthus motifs drawn from ancient Egyptian decorative traditions. Above the doorway, an architrave bears a relief of a central winged sun disk flanked by Horus falcons or Harpocrates, an unmistakably Egyptian emblem. On either side of the entrance are relief-carved Agathodaemones in the form of serpents, each incorporating Egyptian royal headdresses alongside Roman and Greek attributes, specifically the caduceus and thyrsus, and topped with shields bearing Medusa heads, functioning as apotropaic symbols. Adjacent wall reliefs depict a male and female figure: the male figure adopts the stiff, hieratic posture characteristic of Egyptian statuary while rendering the head with lifelike Hellenistic realism; the female figure retains rigid posture but is adorned with a Roman-style coiffure, exemplifying the site’s cultural syncretism.

Within the chamber, three massive stone sarcophagi with non-removable lids are arranged along the sides. Because the lids cannot be lifted, it is inferred that bodies were introduced from behind via a passage encircling the chamber, a solution paralleled in other Alexandrian tombs. The sarcophagi are adorned with garlands and heads of Greek deities, and each is accompanied by a relief panel: the central panel depicts Anubis, jackal-headed and clad in Roman military attire, performing mummification on a corpse laid upon a lion-bed, beneath which three canopic jars are positioned; the lateral panels portray the Apis bull receiving offerings. Surrounding the sarcophagi, the chamber walls are carved with recesses and niches, some measuring over seven feet deep, each designed to accommodate up to three mummies. Collectively, the tomb’s architectural and decorative program manifests a deliberate synthesis of Egyptian, Greek, and Roman funerary motifs, reflecting both technical ingenuity in spatial planning and the cosmopolitan artistic milieu of Roman Alexandria.

circa 200 CE

Triclinium
Branching to the west of the rotunda is a large rectangular triclinium or funerary banquet hall. Its three stone benches, carved in a U-shaped arrangement characteristic of Greco-Roman dining practice, were used during ritual meals in honor of the deceased. The stone surfaces bear traces of repeated use, suggesting that commemorative feasting occurred here on the day of burial as well as at subsequent annual or seasonal rites.

circa 200 CE

Hall of the Loculi
One of the most distinctive features of the Kom el-Shoqafa catacombs is the Hall of Loculi, a large chamber specifically designed to accommodate a significant number of burials. This hall, located on the lower levels of the catacombs, is characterized by the presence of numerous square or rectangular niches carved into the rock walls, each of which would have held a single body or, in some cases, multiple interments. These loculi, aligned in neat rows, form the principal burial space for the majority of the individuals interred in the catacombs, as opposed to the more prominent sarcophagi found in the central burial hall.

The Hall of Loculi is carefully constructed to maximize space, with the loculi arranged in horizontal rows along both the walls and the ceiling, creating a systematic and highly efficient use of the available subterranean space. The niches are often grouped in deep recesses, and their uniform size indicates that they were intended for individuals of varying social standing, from the elite to more common burials. This arrangement reflects the communal nature of the catacombs, as the hall would have been used for the mass interment of Alexandria’s population over several generations.

The depth of the loculi varies, with some extending more than 90 centimeters (approximately 3 feet) into the rock, allowing them to hold multiple mummies stacked on top of one another. This stacking system suggests the catacombs were used as a long-term communal burial site, with space for successive generations of interments over time. The loculi are also positioned in such a way that they would have allowed for the ritualistic procession of mourners and the placement of offerings, maintaining a ceremonial path through the hall.

While the Hall of Loculi was designed primarily for burial, it also served an important symbolic and ritual function. The repetition of the square niches and their symmetrical arrangement helped reinforce the sacred geometry of the site, emphasizing the order and continuity of life and death in the afterlife. Additionally, the wall surfaces around the loculi may have been adorned with modest carvings or inscriptions that further reflect the religious practices associated with funerary rites. Though much of the decoration in this hall is less elaborate compared to the main burial chamber, the loculi's placement in the catacombs served to unify the broader funerary complex, enabling a diverse range of individuals to be interred together in a space that was both practical and spiritually significant.

The use of loculi in the Hall of Loculi reflects broader trends in Roman-Egyptian burial practices, where family and community burial sites were used to house multiple generations of the deceased. In the case of the Kom el-Shoqafa catacombs, the sheer number of loculi and their systematic arrangement in this hall indicate a large-scale operation, likely serving the broader Alexandrian populace. The Hall of Loculi thus provides vital insight into the social and religious dynamics of Roman Alexandria, where diverse populations, from local elites to commoners, could be interred in a communal and sacred space that transcended individual wealth and status.

circa 200 CE

Subsidiary Loculi and Chambers
Radiating from the principal tomb suite are corridors lined with loculi—rectangular niches designed to hold individual burials. These simpler cavities indicate the catacombs’ adaptation from an elite family tomb to a broader community burial ground. The total capacity is estimated at several hundred interments. Many of the subsidiary chambers contain minimal decoration, though a few retain traces of painted plaster or sculptural fragments.

circa 200 CE

Hall of Caracalla
Accessible via a breach off the rotunda, the so-called Hall of Caracalla appears to have been part of an earlier necropolis incorporated into the expanded complex. It contains a mixture of human and equine remains and has been associated by some historians with the aftermath of Caracalla’s suppression of local unrest in 215 CE, though this attribution remains debated. The space is architecturally modest compared with the principal tomb but contributes valuable evidence for the evolving use of the necropolis.