The other location alleged to be Alexander’s tomb was the site of the mosque of Nabi Danial. These two mosques Nabi Danial and Athanasius are not far away from each other, and some confusion during the dark ages of Alexandria can be justified.
The present Mosque of Nabi Danial was built at the end of the 18th46century and restored in 1823 by Mohammed Ali. A smaller shrine, probably the mosque of Dzoul Karnein – the Sire with the two horns – preexisted on the site47. The location is very close to the intersection of the ancient Via Canopica and the street R5. In its crypt there is a catafalque, made in the Moslem tradition. It is said to contain the remains of the scholar and venerated teacher Prophet Daniel and his companion Sidi Lokman el Hakim, a religious story-teller.
The Arab legend of the Prophet Daniel appeared during the 9th century and was told by two astronomers: Mohamed Ibn Kathir el Farghani and Abou Ma’shar48 . The story is interesting because it differs greatly from the Bible and has similarities with Alexander’s story. It is mentioned that “a young Jew, Daniel, was persecuted and chased from Syria by the idolaters whom he had tried to convert. An old man appeared in a dream urging him to go to war against the infidels and promising victory over all of Asia. Daniel acquired numerous followers in Egypt, where he had sought refuge, and built Alexandria. Obeying what the old man had ordered him in his dream, he made war against the infidels. After a successful expedition, he returned to Alexandria and died of old age. His body was placed in a golden sarcophagus inlaid with precious stones, but the Jews stole it to mint coins and replaced it with a stone sarcophagus”.
A Russian monk, Vassili Grigorovich Barskij49 , visited Alexandria in 1727 and 1730 and made a plan of the city. Near the Kom el Dick mound he drew a small Mohammedan shrine, among ruins, that could well be the predecessor of the Nabi Danial Mosque. I cannot refer to his written description of the city, as Barskij’s work is only partially translated and only fragments have been studied.
The Danish Captain Norden visited the town in 1737, but tried in vain to find the tomb of Alexander50.
Similarly, James Bruce 30 years later in 1768 looked for the tomb of the Great Macedonian, “asking the Arabs, the Jews, the Greeks51 and others, but none were able to show him the location”.
However, at the end of the 18th century, Sestrini was shown the sarcophagus in the Attarine mosque as having been Alexander’s tomb.
In 1803, a Russian prelate from Kiev, the archimandrite Konstantios52 , tried without success to locate Alexander’s Mausoleum, noting that he… “looked in vain for… the tomb of Alexander the Great, the tomb of the man whose life’s course was above the faith of common mortals…;” he continues, saying that “until the 15th century the location was known but now even the tradition of this tomb has been lost…”, adding that “beyond any doubt the remains survived under the great masses of the city’s ruins”.
It is interesting to note that, strangely enough Konstantios, in his writing, and Barskij53 in his plan do not mention either of the Mosques. Were they have shown one of the Mosques as being the location of Alexander’s tomb, and was it because of bigotry or because of their superior knowledge of history that they do not even mention these humble Mohammedan shrines as possible remains of the famous Mausoleum?
A new impulse was given to the legend of the tomb of Alexander the Great in the middle of the 19th century. In 185054 a certain Scilitzis of the known Greek family in Alexandria, dragoman-interpreter to the Russian consulate of the town, produced a fantastic story.
It happened that, while guiding some European travellers entrusted to his care, he entered the crypt of the Nabi Danial Mosque. He “descended into a narrow and dark subterranean passage and came to a wooden worm-eaten door. Looking through the cracks of the planks he saw a body with the head slightly raised lying in a crystal coffin. On the head, there was a golden diadem. Around were scattered papyri, scrolls and books. He tried to remain longer in the vault but he was pulled away by one of the monks of the Mosque, and notwithstanding his repeated attempts to return, he was forbidden the area of the Crypt. Scilitzis apparently made a written report to the Russian Consul and to the Greek Patriarch of Alexandria55.
It is obvious that Scilitzis had read Dion Cassius and may have had access to the subterranean passage under the Mosque, but he is not telling the truth. How can we believe that in the humid climate of Alexandria, papyri and books could have survived for over two millenia?
Unlike Ambroise Scilitzis’s story, which may be described as an enormous hoax56, we cannot dismiss as such the written report of Mahmoud Bey el Falaki. This learned Egyptian astronomer and engineer visited the crypts under the Nabi Danial Mosque some ten years after Scilitzis while trying to carry our the difficult task of drawing a map of the ancient town as ordered in 1865 by the Khedive Ismail57.
In Mahmoud Bey’s report, he says that : “During my visit to the vaults under that building I entered a large room with an arched roof built on the ground level of the town. From this paved room inclined corridors started out in four different directions. Because of their length and their bad state I could not survey them entirely. The rich quality of the stones used in the construction and numerous other indications confirmed my belief that these subterranean passages must have led to the tomb of Alexander the Great. I therefore, contemplated returning and resuming my investigations, but unfortunately this was forbidden to me by a superior order and all the entrance ways were walled up”58.
El Falaki was not an archaeologist, so we can be skeptical about his conclusions, but I would not question his sincerity and he must be considered as a reliable witness.
His description raises some questions: Who decided and why, to force El Falaki to suspend his survey of the subterranean passages? Falaki was working for a project sponsored by the reigning Khedive. Why did he not appeal to his powerful patron? Why did he drop his investigation?
But, before the end of the 19th century, we have a story that must be taken with reservation. It concerns the alleged discovery made in 1879 by a chief mason and the Cheih of the Nabi Danial Mosque. The story goes that while doing some masonry work in the basement they supposedly entered the vault and reached an inclined subterranean passage. They both walked for some distance and could discern some monuments made of granite ending with an angular summit. The mason wanted to proceed further but the Cheih ordered him to return. The entrance was walled up and the mason was asked not to reveal that incident59.
The specific connection of Alexander with the site of Nabi Danial mosque is attested at least from the earlier part of the 19th century by Yacub Artin Pacha, who wrote to Zogheb60.
During the second half of the 19th century, when archaeology made its appearance as a discipline, we do have some attempts of excavation aimed at unearthing evidence about the Soma. Schliemann waited for some time in Alexandria hoping to obtain official permission to dig around the mosque of Nabi Danial.
While waiting, he did some digging near the seashore at Ramleh and discovered a Ptolemaic necropolis. Schliemann, however, made it clear that the only place he felt the Soma could be found was in the vicinity of the Nabi Danial Mosque and the digging of Ramleh was undertaken only so as not to remain idle while waiting for the permission, which was never granted61.
Botti reports that Ioannides discovered in 1893 a cemetery of the last century of the Ptolemies while searching for the Tomb of Alexander62.
Neroutsos63 writes that in 1874, while digging the foundations of two houses for Kattaoui Bey and a third in front of the mosque of Nabi Danial, parallel to the street, large granite columns were found as well as others of marble fallen nearby and one of these columns is still there, in situ.
Botti mentions that he saw opposite the Kattaoui building, columns lying seven metres under the level of the ground. Botti64 also refers to an early Christian church near Kom el Dick, called the church of Alexander. Adriani however proved that most of the remains can be associated with the ancient colonnade of street R5, whose part has been excavated and exhibited to public. See: A. Adriani, Repertorio, Serie C, op. Cit. No.46, pl. 24, fig. 89.
Hogarth undertook a number of digs near Kom el Dick at the end of the 19th century65.
More excavations were carried out in the first half of the 20th century by Breccia66, Thiersch67, Adriani68, Gaindor69, Victor Guirguis70 and Wace71. An important work on Alexandria was also written By Alexandre Max de Zogheb72.
All theses excavations revealed the existence of groups of huge ancient ruins around Kom el Dick hill and not far away from the Nabi Danial mosque.
It must be said that until the middle of our century the Egyptian authorities were reluctant to grant permission for excavations in the vicinity of the mosque of Nabi Danial, not only on religious grounds but also because some of the members of the reigning dynasty were buried nearby.
After the abolition of the monarchy in 1953, the authorities became less sensitive and more open to scientific excavation in the area. Thus, in 1960, we have for the first time a methodical dig by the Polish archaeological expedition, which is still in progress73.
The Polish excavations continued for some 30 years and brought to light burials of the Arab period74, a well preserved small Roman theatre, remains of a late Roman bath, many other constructions and a vast quantity of material from large ancient buildings75.
In the area of the theatre the Polish archaeologists found a small marble head of Alexander, probably datable to the second century AD. Zsolt Kiss, who published this “New Portrait of Alexander”, believes that this modest sculpture shows the Macedonian deified hero, with the hair arranged as a Zeus76.
A water cistern under the Nabi Danial mosque was also investigated. However, no evident remains of the Soma were brought to light, although the excavations took place in the immediate vicinity of its supposed location.
The excavations have added much to our knowledge of the topography of ancient and medieval Alexandria without answering the question of the location of Alexander’s tomb77. They finally proved that the region around the Kom el Dickhill, situated in the very close neighbourhood of Nabi Danial Mosque, had been used as residential and recreation part of the city from the Ptolemaic, through the Roman, till the early Islamic period. No traces of the Ptolemaic Necropolis – Soma – have been spotted there. See: M. Rodziewicz, “Alexandrie” vol. III, op. Cit.
But the hope of the discovery of the tomb of the Macedonian hero has also lured non-scientists who persist in searching for the splendid Tomb. A typical case is that of a stubborn Alexandrian Greek waiter, Stelios Koumoutsos, who has spent over three decades trying to persuade the Egyptian and the Greek archaeological authorities to let him excavate at a secret location which holds Alexander’s remains78.
The other case is more original and concerns an attempt using “psychic archaeology” made in the late 70’s in a “search for Alexander the Great’s tomb”. It is reported that with the assistance of an Egyptian archaeologist a hole was opened from inside the crypt of the Nabi Danial mosque through a brick wall in an attempt to confirm a “psychic vision” claiming the existence of a subterranean tunnel. However as in three previous cases – Scilitzis’, Falaki’s and the mason’s – at the last moment the investigation was stopped and orders were given to close up the opening79.
But the mystery of the tomb of Alexander the Great, far from having been elucidated, remains80. It is a vivid example of a deeply rooted veneration of a deified hero of the Greco-Roman world that survived Christianity and found, later, a continuity in the Arab tradition.
Photos: (top) The Mosque of Nabi Danial – photograph from the beginning of the 20th century; (middle) head of Alexander; (bottom) Engraving of the Alexandrian Catacombs.
HARRY E. TZALAS
ABBREVIATIONS USED
BCH = Bulletin de Correspondance Hellénique
BSAA = Bulletin Societé Archéologique d’Alexandrie
ET = Etudes et Travaux (Trav. Cent. d’Arch. méd.), Varsovie
Fraser = P.M. Fraser, Ptolemaic Alexandria, Vol. I, Oxford (1972)
JDI = Jahrbuch des Kšnig. Deutschen Archaeologischen Instituts
ROMM = La Revue de l’Occident Musulman et de la Méditerranée.
Notes:
46. According to Fraser the foundation of this mosque may go back to the XVth c. P.M. Fraser op. cit., p. 38.
47. Cited by Ibn Abd-el-Hakim, who died in 871 A.D. in his account of the mosques of Alexandria. This author stipulates that “the mosque of Dzoul-Karnein was situated near the gate of the city and its exit. [p. 484 transl. Bouriant Mém. Miss. Arch. Franç. XVII. I (1893)].
48. A. Bernard, “Alexandrie la Grande”, Rev. Arch., (1956,5).E.Combe, cited by E. Breccia, “Le tombeau d’Alex. le Grand”, in Le Musée Grec-Rom. 1925-1931 (1932), pp. 37-48 and pl. XXVII-XXXI.
49. Grigorovich Barskij. Ç ðåñéÞãçóç ôïõ Âáóéëåßïõ Ã.Â. óôïõò ¢ãéïõò Ôüðïõò ôçò ÁíáôïëÞò áðü ôï 1723 ùò ôï 1747,åêäéäïìÝíç áðü ôçí Ïñèüäïîç ÐáëáéóôéíéáêÞ Åôáéñåßá, ìå åðéìÝëåéá ôïõ N. Barzoukov. Ðåôñïýðïëç (1885-1887).
50. F.L. Norden, Travels in Egypt and Nubia, translated from the original, p. 33. London (1757).
51. M.F. Awad [ROMM 46, (1987) 4] mentions that in the census of 1801, there were 40 Greek families in Alexandria. It should be noted that after the Arab conquest, there is no reference to the Greek community giving information about Alex.’s tomb. The reports are always Arabs.
52. Áñ÷áßá ÁëåîÜíäñåéá – ÐåñéãñáöÞ ôïõ Êéáßâïõ – Áéêáôåñéíï-Ãñáéêïý Ìïíáóôçôßïõ – Áñ÷éìáíäñßôïõ Êùíóôáíôßïõ. Ìüóêïâá (1803). 53. Barskij plan contains several annotations of the monuments and locations considered of importance.
54. A. Max de Zogheb, Etudes sur l’Anc. Alex., (1909).
55. Th. Moshonas of the Patriarchate of Alexandria looked for this document in the Patriarchate’s archives but could not trace it. Â. Ìïó÷ïíÜò, “Ï ÔÜöïò ôïõ Ì. ÁëåîÜíäñïõ”, Êñßêïò, London, (Éïýíéïò1957).
56. A Bernard, “Alexandrie la Grande”, Rev. Arch. (1956, 1), p. 235.
57. It is worth noting that M. Dimitsas in this important work on Alexandria, based on literary sources does not mention Scilitzis story. Éóôïñßá ôçò ÁëåîÜíäñåéáò. Åí ÁèÞíáò (1885).
58. A. Max de Zogheb, Etudes sur l’anc. Alex., (1909), p. 160.
59. A. Max de Zogheb, Etudes sur l’anc. Alex., (1909), pp. 161-162.
60. “Aussi loin que se reporte ma mémoire, je me souviens de la mosquée Nebi Daniel, et ce souvenir est indissolublement lié dans mon esprit avec le nom d’Alex.; car il m’a toujours été dit qu’elle contenait le tombeau du Macedonien, et je crois même que c’etait en 1850 la croyance générale à Alex.” quoted by Fraser p. 39.
1. This is reported in a monograph written by a Prince Tewfik, The Tomb of Alex. the Great, which I read in the library of the Greco-Roman Museum of Alex. in 1954, but I was unable to trace again in 1988.
62. G. Botti, Plan de la ville d’Alex. à l’époque Ptolemaique. Soc. Arch. d’Alex. (1898) Alexandria.
63. T.D. Neroutsos, l’Ancienne Alex. (1888).
64. G. Botti, Plan de la ville d’Alex. a l’époque Ptolemaique, Alexandria (1898), and Additions au “Plan de la Ville d’Alex. etc.”, Bull. Soc. Arch.d’Alex. Alexandria (1898), fasc. 1, p.55.
65. D.G. Hogarth and E.F. Benson, Research in Alex. Egypt expl. Fund, Arch.Rep. 1894/1895, p. 13.
66. E. Breccia, “La tomba di Aless. Magno”, Bull. Arch. N.S., 7 (1929-1930), p.206-208, “Alexandrea ad Aegyptum”, pp. 83-86, Berg (1914) and “Sondages près de la Mosquée Nabi Daniel et dans la rue el Bardissy”, Le Musée Grec.-Rom. (1925-1931), pp. 48-52.
67. H. Thiersch, “Die Alexandrinische Konigsnecropole”, JDI, XXV, (1910), pp. 55-97.
68. A. Adriani, “Saggio di una pianta arch. di Aless.”, Ann. Du Musée Greco-Romain, fasc. I (1932-1933); id. Fasc. III (1935-1939); id. “Scavi e scoperte Alessandrine, (1949-1952)”, Bull. Soc. Arch. d’Alex. Alexandria (1956), fasc. 41, pp. 1-10.
69. P. Gaindo, “Alexandrie, Recherche du tombeau d’Alexandre”, Chron. Egypt. X. (1935), pp. 276-281.
70. Unpublished reports on the excavations in the possession of the library of the Grec.-Rom. Museum in Alex.
71. A. J. Wace, Unpublished reports dated 1952, in possession of the faculty of Arts Univ. of Alex.
72. A.M. de Zogheb, recherche sur l’Ancienne Alex. Pp. 151-174.
73. See : M. Rodziewicz, “Alexandrie” I, III op. cit.;BSAA 44,Alex. 1991,pp. 1-168;id. Twenty years of Activities of the Polish Excavation Mission in Alexandria. Africana Bulletin Nr. 31. Warsaw (1982), pp. 11-18
74. See : M. Rodziewicz, “Alexandrie” I, III op. cit. See also reports on excavations at Kom el Dikka in Études et Travaux, Varsovie vol. I-XIV; id. Twenty years of Activities of the Polish Excavation Mission in Alexandria. Africana Bulletin Nr. 31. Warsaw (1982), pp. 11-18. TL. Dabrowski, “Two Arab Necropoles Discovered at Kom el Dikka, Alexandria”. Trav. Du Centre d’Archaéologie Mèd. de l’Acad. Polonaise de Science . III, pp. 171-180.
75. The fort Kom el Dick was built by Marmont as the main fortress of Alexandria.The name Kom el Dick or Kom el Dikka apears in the literature for the first time in 763A.H. (1361 A.D.), when mentioned by the Egyptian writer Al Nuwayri. See Et. Combe, “Note de Topographie et d’Hist. D’Alex.”, Bull. Soc. Arch. d’Alex. Alexandria (1946), fasc.36, (1943-1944), pp.142-143.
76. Zsolt Kiss, “Un Nouveau Portrait d’Alex. Le Grand”. Etudes et travaux Tome 10,IV, pp. 119-131.
77. Zsolt Kiss, “Un Nouveau Portrait d’Alex. Le Grand”. Etudes et travaux Tome 10,IV, p. 120. “Depuis bien longtemps on situait dans ces parages [Mosquée Nabi Daniel] le fameux Sema, le fastueux tombeau…d’Alex. le Grand. Tous les efforts dans le but de retrouver cet édifice n’ont jusque’hui rien donné”. See remarks on Soma in Rodziewicz, “Alexandrie” vol. III, chapter I-IV, op. cit.
78. A file with his theories and all pertinent documantation was deposited in 1979 with the Greek Minister of Culture. A. Bernard refers to this same person in p. 236 of his important work, Alexandrie la Grande. Stelios Koumoutsos continued his attempts until 1991, the year he died. He did apparently obtain permission , and dug sporadically in an unscientific manner, at several locations of the city, but lacking the basic topographical knowledge of ancient Alexandria he was led to believe that he was on the right path whenever he did reach the remains of the extended ancient sewage system. Panaigyptia, N. 41, Athens (September 1991).
79. Stephan A. Schwartz, The Alexandrian project, New York (1983).
80. During Februaury and October of 1992, the Greek press and several foreign papers reported an announcement made by an archaeologist, Mrs. Liana Souvaltzi, stating that during an excavation at Siwa a building believed to be the tomb of Alexander was found. No conclusive evidence was given so it only adds a further, most improbable version to the legend of the lost tomb.
http://www.greece.org/alexandria/tomb2/index.htm