DOI Artikel:
Hogarth, David G.: Egypt Exploration Fund, [4]: Report on prospects of Research in Alexandria
DOI Seite / Zitierlink: https://doi.org/10.11588/diglit.10057#0035
Alexandria, South of the Boulevard de Rosette.
23
time of Aurelian.1 St. John Chrysostom" speaks of the Tomb of Alexander
as having vanished in his day.3 From early in the 16th century
until the middle of the 18th, -we know that a little Moslem turbe, or
saint's tomb, near the Church of St. Mark, was pointed out as the
traditional site.4 This turbe has disappeared now, and its tradition
been transferred to other spots, notably one near Poinpey's Pillar.
The most sacred locality, however, in Alexandria, in the eyes of modern
Moslems, is the Mosque of Nebi Daniel, situated on the west side of
Kom el Dikk, at the foot of the mound. Here is the actual resting-place
of one Sidi Lckman el Hakim, and the reputed tomb of Daniel the
Prophet. The mosque is not far from the site of the Church of St.
Mark, and therefore may represent the turbe called in the Middle Ages
the Tomb of Iskender ; but not knowing precisely how the latter lay as
regards the church, we must leave the question open. Also the mosque's
position will satisfy well enough the only topographical indications
which have come down to us as regards the Soma; for it is probably
within the ancient Bruchium Quarter, and at about the centre of the
old city, where Achilles Tatius seems to intend us to understand rbv
e7rwvvfiov 'AXe^dvSpov tottov to be.5
These considerations, and especially a mysterious sanctity, have
caused the mosque of Nebi Daniel to be identified by many with the
actual site of the Soma. Of that opinion were Mahmud Bey and
1 Amm. Marcell. 22,10, 13.
2 Horn. 26, 12. ttov yap, efjre poi, ro crj)/in 'A\c£dvHpov ; hel^ov p.01 k.t.X.
3 The last person whom we know to have seen the body of Alexander was the
Emperor Septimius Severus (Dio. 70, 13). If Ammianus (22, 2, 7) means the Soma
by the " Speciosnm Genii templum," through which he represents the Patriarch
George to have passed exclaiming, " Quam diu sepulchrum hoc stabitP", his will bo
the last mention of the tomb as standing. M. A.deZogheb quotes St.Epiplianios (with-
out reference) as an authority for the ruin of the Soma; and somewhere I have seen it
stated that St. Jerome speaks of the Bruchium in his day as only a refuge for
hermits. But a search through the ill-indexed Migne ed. of the former, and through
three editions of the latter Father, has not resulted in my finding either reference.
So I omit them in my text.
4 Leo Afric. p. 672 (Elzevir) " in medio Alexandria? ruderum rediculam instar
sacelli constructam adhuc superesse, insigni sepulchro magno a Machumetanis
honors affecto memorabilem, quo Alexandri Magni corpus summi prophets) ac regis,
velut in Alcarano legunt, asservari contendunt." Cf. also Marmol, Descr. de
l'Egypte, ii. 14, who apparently contents himself with plagiarizing Leo Africanus.
6 Clit. et Leuc. v. i. Strabo's statement that the Soma was pe'pos tosv /WiXeiW,
probably implies no more than that it stood on Boyal Domain land, the latter
including one-third of the whole area of the city, and being situated perhaps a little
in all quarters. /, l^j }j} /wj*. ^j'i* Cn£c*j Kyi**** (x^ j/fT.
23
time of Aurelian.1 St. John Chrysostom" speaks of the Tomb of Alexander
as having vanished in his day.3 From early in the 16th century
until the middle of the 18th, -we know that a little Moslem turbe, or
saint's tomb, near the Church of St. Mark, was pointed out as the
traditional site.4 This turbe has disappeared now, and its tradition
been transferred to other spots, notably one near Poinpey's Pillar.
The most sacred locality, however, in Alexandria, in the eyes of modern
Moslems, is the Mosque of Nebi Daniel, situated on the west side of
Kom el Dikk, at the foot of the mound. Here is the actual resting-place
of one Sidi Lckman el Hakim, and the reputed tomb of Daniel the
Prophet. The mosque is not far from the site of the Church of St.
Mark, and therefore may represent the turbe called in the Middle Ages
the Tomb of Iskender ; but not knowing precisely how the latter lay as
regards the church, we must leave the question open. Also the mosque's
position will satisfy well enough the only topographical indications
which have come down to us as regards the Soma; for it is probably
within the ancient Bruchium Quarter, and at about the centre of the
old city, where Achilles Tatius seems to intend us to understand rbv
e7rwvvfiov 'AXe^dvSpov tottov to be.5
These considerations, and especially a mysterious sanctity, have
caused the mosque of Nebi Daniel to be identified by many with the
actual site of the Soma. Of that opinion were Mahmud Bey and
1 Amm. Marcell. 22,10, 13.
2 Horn. 26, 12. ttov yap, efjre poi, ro crj)/in 'A\c£dvHpov ; hel^ov p.01 k.t.X.
3 The last person whom we know to have seen the body of Alexander was the
Emperor Septimius Severus (Dio. 70, 13). If Ammianus (22, 2, 7) means the Soma
by the " Speciosnm Genii templum," through which he represents the Patriarch
George to have passed exclaiming, " Quam diu sepulchrum hoc stabitP", his will bo
the last mention of the tomb as standing. M. A.deZogheb quotes St.Epiplianios (with-
out reference) as an authority for the ruin of the Soma; and somewhere I have seen it
stated that St. Jerome speaks of the Bruchium in his day as only a refuge for
hermits. But a search through the ill-indexed Migne ed. of the former, and through
three editions of the latter Father, has not resulted in my finding either reference.
So I omit them in my text.
4 Leo Afric. p. 672 (Elzevir) " in medio Alexandria? ruderum rediculam instar
sacelli constructam adhuc superesse, insigni sepulchro magno a Machumetanis
honors affecto memorabilem, quo Alexandri Magni corpus summi prophets) ac regis,
velut in Alcarano legunt, asservari contendunt." Cf. also Marmol, Descr. de
l'Egypte, ii. 14, who apparently contents himself with plagiarizing Leo Africanus.
6 Clit. et Leuc. v. i. Strabo's statement that the Soma was pe'pos tosv /WiXeiW,
probably implies no more than that it stood on Boyal Domain land, the latter
including one-third of the whole area of the city, and being situated perhaps a little
in all quarters. /, l^j }j} /wj*. ^j'i* Cn£c*j Kyi**** (x^ j/fT.