Tomb Raider

Our tour guide of the catacombs of Kom al-Shuqafa used to be an archeologist specializing in Ancient Egypt. In his past line of work, he befriended many tomb raiders and explained to us that it is quite easy to find an ancient tomb in Egypt. The steps are below...


How to Find An Ancient Tomb in Egypt:

1. Go to the desert
2. Find a grouping of trees (this means there must have been a water source there at one point, which the workers would have needed to survive a building project in the desert)
3. Walk away from the water source (the humidity would have been bad for the mummies)
4. Walk towards the West (Ancient Egyptians believed the West to be the destination of the dead since that is where the Sun dies/sets every evening)
5. Search for a location that is dry, rocky, and elevated (conditions that are best for mummy preservation)
6. Voile! Chances are you've now found an Ancient Egyptian tomb! Just keep your fingers crossed that it hasn't already been raided....


The photo below is of the Catacombs of Kom al-Shuqafa in Alexandria -- considered to be one of the Seven Wonders of the Middle Ages.

In the photo below, notice the combination of Ancient Roman symbols with Ancient Egyptian symbols: the head of Medusa and a snake with the double crown of Upper and Lower Egypt.