Anfushi tombs in Alexandria | Greco-Roman Period
Anfushi tombs in Alexandria

Anfushi tombs in Alexandria | Facts, History Greco-Roman Cemetery, Entrance Fees, opening hours, and more.

Anfushi toms together with Mostafa Kamel tombs are among the most beautiful Ptolemaic tombs in Alexandria Egypt.  The tombs were discovered starting from the year 1901 until 1921 AD. Alexandria was the capital of Egypt during the Greco-Roman era. That’s why we found many Greco-Roman monuments in Alexandria. The tombs of Anfushi are carved into the rock, dating back to the third century BC, about 250 BC.

Anfushi toms are famous as rock-cut tombs and they are rich with colorful ceilings and walls, Egyptian graffiti, and pictures. Although the tombs were built on a smaller scale than the Catacombs at Kom al-Shoqafa.

Anfushi tomb’s location

Anfushi tombs in Alexandria were located once on Pharos Island. Moreover, in fact, the tombs lie a third of the way between the Palace of Ras al-Tin on the western point and Fort Qaitbay on the eastern point.

The tombs of Anfushi Alexandria

After the discovery of the first tomb in 1901, archeologists continued their discoveries till they found 5 tombs so far. Besides, tomb number 6 disappeared and does not exist anymore.

Many of Anfushi tombs are painted to simulate alabaster and marble. They are decorated with pictures of Egyptian gods and daily life. Although out of these 5 tombs, there are two tombs number 2 &5 also distinguished by the presence of a number of beautiful inscriptions on their walls. Also, they are characterized by their wonderful and unique architectural design. Between two of these tombs, there is a large hall, which is reached through a wonderfully decorated staircase.

The first funerary building contains two tombs

1st tomb of Anfushi cemetery

This tomb has a unique burial chamber with a granite sarcophagus and a pharaonic entrance style design. Moreover, wide benches are carved into the rock and slightly raised from the ground.

The second tomb in Anfushi cemetery

The second tomb of this cemetery has two rooms, the first of which is rectangular, and its decoration is imitating marble. This room is divided into two small rooms, and the decoration of these rooms is like the decoration of the first room in the first cemetery. In the hall of the funerary area, there is an opening that leads to a water cistern.

The second funerary building contains two tombs

The entrance to the second funerary building consists of a staircase that leads to a courtyard on which two tombs open each with two rooms. The walls were painted with Pharaonic drawings and fresco in a manner similar to veined marble. The hall of the building is decorated with frescos and there are two tombs open to this foyer or hall.

The first tomb of the second funerary building

The first tomb is the one on the right, and it contains a room without decoration but it contains sketches of Roman warships that sail by sail.

The funeral chamber has a door in front of which there is a staircase, and its decoration is beautiful, and it is a mixed Pharaonic-Roman decoration.

The second tomb of the second funerary building

The second tomb has two rooms like the first one and the first room was painted with colors in the Ptolemaic and then Roman eras.

On both sides of the door of the funeral chamber, there are two small columns above each of them a statue of the Sphinx

The third funerary building in Anfushi cemetery

The upper parts of this building disappeared and a lot of the stones were used for building other buildings

The tomb is different because there are 3 rooms dug underground instead of two like the other tombs. Moreover, a small hallway to which the staircase opens directly.

In the first and second chambers, several niches were dug to bury the dead.

The fourth funerary building of Anfushi cemetery

This fourth building is not in good condition and had a staircase leading to a courtyard with a cemetery opening onto it.

The first tomb of the fourth funerary building

the first room of this tomb contains the remains of three benches, which indicates that it was a room for a funerary table carved in the rock. Also, there is a hole to the right of the room that used to be a water tank.

The second tomb of the fourth funerary building

The second tomb has a rectangular and spacious room with the remains of two benches built into the rock.

The fifth funerary building of Anfushi cemetery

Finally, this building is considered one of the richest tombs of this ancient cemetery in terms of decorations and drawings.

The tomb is carved into the rock and consists of a staircase and an open courtyard, open to four small rooms.

Conclusion

There are some unique features of this cemetery such as a special room for the funeral banquet. Also, some drawings of the Egyptian jackal god Anubis and drawings of Osiris and Isis sitting on the throne.

Opening hours for the visit to Anfushi tomb

Daily the cemetery opens for the visit between 08.00 AM and 17.00 PM.

Entrance ticket prices

Adult: EGP 40 (1.6 $)

Students with valid cards: EGP 20(0.8$)

Children aged 6-12 years: EGP 20 (0.8 $)

Conclusion

Thank you for following our blog! I hope you had a great time exploring all that the Anfushi tombs in Alexandria have to offer. If you have any extra time, I recommend visiting some of the top tourist attractions that Alexandria has to offer, such as

The Egyptian ideal was that after death a person should be buried in a splendid and everlasting monument that acted as a visible memorial for the dead

Greek funeral drama consisted of three parts. It began with laying out of the body (prothesis), continued with the conveyance of the body to the grave site (ekphora), and ended with deposition of the cremated or inhumed body.

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