Visiting Egypt to go to the Catacombs of Kom El Shuqafa is an intriguing experience. Walking down the circular staircase, you are witnessing, in real life, one of the Seven Wonders of the Middle Ages.
Let's delve into some facts and visualizations of this ancient ruin:
This archaeological site was built in the 2nd Century as a burial site.
No one knew the catacombs existed until a donkey fell through one of its openings in 1900.
The site combines ancient architectural and cultural traditions of Egypt, Rome and Greece as evidenced by art inside this site.
Artwork shows the traditions held by ancient Egyptians in preparing for the afterlife. During ancient Egypt, Egyptians believed in various gods and goddesses and ensured to go through life doing good and keeping their heart pure. When a person passed away, mummification was frequently practiced preparing the soul for "The Judgment," a ruling to determine if a soul would go to heaven. The Judgment involved weighing the person's heart on a scale with the "Feather of Ma'at" to determine if the heart was heavier or lighter than the feather. If a person was good and lived with a pure heart, it would weigh less than the feather and the soul would climb the bones of "The Great God Shu" and live eternity in paradise. If the person didn't live with a pure heart during their life, their heart would be heavier than the feather and their heart was eaten by the goddess Ammit and their existence would be no more.
As intriguing as this site was to visit, it showed the impact of how much Egypt changed after Cleopatra VII passed away and Romans took over Egypt. There are many tombs from the battles between Romans and Egyptians. The beauty in the pain is through the art, which shows, even in war, the gods and goddesses of ancient Egypt are still there.
As Roman influence declined in Egypt and Christianity rised, this site stopped being used and wasn't discovered until 1900. More attention to this wonder increased during the 20th century and the Catacombs of Kom El Shoqafa became a well-known destination to visit. For adults who are Egyptian/Arab, the cost to enter the catacombs is EGP30; for all other nationalities EGP150. Free admission is granted to children under 6 years of age, Egyptians who are 60 and older and Egyptians with special needs. It is open 7 days a week at 9AM with last entry at 4PM. On Ramadan the catacombs are open at 9AM and last entry is at 2PM. When I visited the catacombs, this attraction was included with the tour company I used Egypt Tours Portal.
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