| Take
shari`
al-Khidiwiy from Ramsiys Station and turn left into shari`
`amuwd as-Sawariy. Continue past
Pompey's Pillar and take shari'
Bab al-Muluwk on the right and then shari`al-Nasriyah,
which leads to the catacombs. The Kuwm al-Shuqafah ("
The Hill of Broken Tiles") (1) is
a rocky plateau situated between the ancient villages of Karmuwz
and Mina' al-Basal, now densely populated districts
of Alexandria, where Christian catacombs and chapels were first
discovered.
The
exploitation of the quarries, in addition to Muhammad `Aliy's
use of the hill as a bastion to defend the modern city, destroyed any remaining
traces.
In
1900,
almost fifty years later, a donkey accident led to the discovery of another
necropolis, an enormous hypogeum which is the largest in Alexandria
and probably dates from the 2nd century AD.
Originally
a series of 2nd-century AD private tombs, the complex was later
enlarged for the community, created the largest Roman funerary complex
known in Egypt. The tomb decorations show a surprising blend of
Egyptian and classical styles, so typical of Alexandria.
It
is a remarkable example of the Alexandrian blend of Graeco-Roman
and Egyptian styles. The catacombs were hewn out of the rock
on three superposed levels. The dead were lowered by ropes down the central
well of a spiral staircase.
The
vestibule has two semicircular niches, each containing a bench surmounted
by a shell carved in the vaulted upper half of the niche. This opens onto
a Rotunda built around a central well covered with a sort of domed
kiosk supported by eight pillars. The adjoining burial chambers
contain sarcophagi and niches for funeral urns have been hollowed out of
the rock.
On
the right through a fissure in the rock is the Hall of Caracalla which
consists of a vestibule and a burial chamber. Four tombs are decorated
with paintings on stucco work where the bones of young men and horses
were found. They were reputedly massacred for insulting a Roman emperor.
A staircase, decorated with a large relief carving of a shell. Beyond this
vestibule is the Banquet Hall or the Triclinium
(2).
On
the days dedicated to remembrance of the dead, relatives and friends gathered
for a funeral banquet in memory of their loved ones. The ceiling is supported
by stone pillars and there are three stone couches (on which mattresses
were piled) arranged in a semicircle. The table, most probably wooden,
stood in the center.
Here
the decoration is reminiscent of the Pharaonic tombs of Luxor and
Saqqarah
in
the Valley of the Kings. In the vestibule the capitals of the pillars are
decorated with papyrus and acanthus leaves and the cornice with a winged
sun flanked by two falcons.
The
strangest part of the complex is the second-level decorated palace reached
via the staircase in the Rotunda.
Limestone
statues on either side of the vestibule probably in the summer represent
the deceased and his wife. The statues have Greek hairstyles and
headdresses and Egyptian clothes. A door set in the far wall leads into
the funeral chapel, where both Greek and Egyptian religious symbols are
found. On a bas-relief sculpture positioned on both sides of the door.
The
entrance is guarded by two bearded serpents wearing the double crowns of
Upper
and
Lower
Egypt and, rear up on their coils next to the serpent staff of Hermes
and
the pine cone of Dionysus, above them, a Medusa in
a disk The confusion of styles and religions becomes even more notable
inside the tomb, where the three sarcophagi are decorated in classical
style.
Niches
above the sarcophagi show bas-reliefs with Egyptian motifs: a mummy on
a lion-shaped bed being administered to by gods Anubis, Horus and
Sobek
dressed
as Roman legionnaires. It is interesting that the representations of the
Egyptian gods show a marked lack of understanding of both Pharaonic
style and symbolism.
Above
them two gorgons can be seen, which were probably intended to terrify unwelcome
visitors. The burial chamber contains three enormous sarcophagi, hewn out
of the rock and decorated with festoons of flowers, fruit and gorgons'
heads.
The
third level is flooded and therefore inaccessible. Rising groundwater has
left even the Central Tomb vulnerable to serious damage from occasional
floods.
Archeologist
Gaston
Maspero was struck by the Egyptian style of this funeral chapel, which
caused him to comment: "Nothing is more curious to study than this hybrid
form of documentation and the way in which it has been executed. The idea
that comes immediately to mind as you examine it is that it was commissioned
by members of the Egyptian nobility who were still deeply attached
to their national form of worship."
However,
if we remember the degree of popularity enjoyed by Isis throughout
the Roman empire toward the end of the 2nd century AD, there is
nothing to stop us supposing that this Egyptian decor housed the remains
of a foreigner in some way associated with the worship of that goddess.
Nothing remains of the structure that once surmounted the, except for a
mosaic with geometric designs.
(2)
Triclinium:
a
room containing three couches
(3)
Hypogea:
Subterranean
burial chambers or catacombs
The
correct answer of last issue's quiz :
The
beach is currently known as Stanley Bey, while in 1940 it was known as
King Faruwq I beach.
I really liked this
issue, it contains a lot of interesting history and information, and as
an Alexandrian, it brought back some memories. The tram pictures shown
below are showing the western tram line, a.k.a. yellow tram, in Alexandria
which is older then the blue tram that goes from Ramleh station
to Victoria. The first picture is the western entrance of Ramleh
station, I can't really tell where the second on was taken exactly. But
its some where west of Manshia and east of Anfoshi. Victoria
college was founded in 1902, they changed the name of the school from
Victoria to Victory, hence, Al-Nasr. Still most of the
people call school and the neighborhood Victoria thou.
Now to the quiz, the beach is Stanley
beach,
it is located on the korniche west of El-Saray San Giovani.
Moustafa Khalil
<moustafakhalil@yahoo.com>
Hello,
As an old Alexandrian
who long lived Rue Bolbitine, I feel somehow frustrated that you
did'nt mention Camp-de-César (El Askariah or something
similar in the new naming) as a tramway station between Chatby and
Ibrahmiah. I'm just teasing, but it really exists.
Regards
Christine Cuegnet-D'Orsi
ccuegnet@free.fr <ccuegnet@free.fr>
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