Bilad el Rumi

Even further west, in the village of Maraqi area, are the extensive remains of the site of Bilad el Rumi, whose name means ‘city of the Romans’ and which boasts more than 200 rock-cut tombs. These rock-cut tombs, almost all of which are undecorated, are arranged on two levels, while at the base of the mountain there are tombs made of mud bricks. The great majority of the tombs yielded mummies in a poor state of preservation. A tall wall is all that remains of what may be a military structure or a Christian basilica. The Bilad el Rumi settlement dates to the 1st-2nd century AD, and it is certain that it was occupied and used by the Copts during the Byzantine period.