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Under threat for 100 years, Egypt finally rescues 2,000-year-old Kom al-Shoqafa catacombs from rising water

  • Site is considered by archaeologists to be the largest Greco-Roman burial site in Egypt

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Visitors tour through the catacombs of Kom al-Shoqafa (Mound of Shards), dating to the Roman period (1st-4th centuries AD) in the centre of the Egyptian Mediterranean coastal city of Alexandria on March 3, 2019, during the inauguration of a project to drain groundwater from the archaeological site. Photo: AFP

Egypt on Sunday announced the completion of a project to save famed 2,000-year-old catacombs in the costal city of Alexandria from rising waters.

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The Kom al-Shoqafa location, considered by archaeologists to be the largest Greco-Roman burial site in Egypt, has been threatened by water since its discovery in 1900.

Visitors tour through the catacombs of Kom al-Shoqafa (Mound of Shards). Photo: AFP
Visitors tour through the catacombs of Kom al-Shoqafa (Mound of Shards). Photo: AFP

The catacombs, which were in use from the first to the fourth century AD, are renowned for funerary architecture blending ancient Egyptian, Greek and Roman art.

The rising water prompted Egypt to launch a massive drainage project supported by the United States Agency for International (USAID) in 2017.

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Antiquities Minister Khaled al-Anani told reporters at the site that the programme had helped “end a problem threatening the area for more than 100 years”.

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