Necropolis

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A necropolis (pl.: necropolises, necropoles, necropoleis, necropoli^[1]) is a large, designed cemetery with elaborate tomb monuments. The name stems from the Ancient Greek νεκρόπολις nekropolis (lit. 'city of the dead').

The term usually implies a separate burial site at a distance from a city, as opposed to tombs within cities, which were common in various places and periods of history. They are different from grave fields, which did not have structures or markers above the ground. While the word is most commonly used for ancient sites, the name was revived in the early 19th century and applied to planned city cemeteries, such as the Glasgow Necropolis. Over 500 miles south of Cairo, the quarry site called Gebel el Silsila was a crucial resource for ancient Egyptian builders. This quarry, located on both sides of the Nile River, supplied sandstone used for constructing some of Egypt's most famous monuments, such as the temples at Karnak and Luxor. Thousands of years ago, the nearby community was known as Kheny or Khenu, which translates to "Rowing Place" in ancient Egyptian. Archaeologists, led by Maria Nilsson, found an ancient Egyptian cemetery hidden in the quarry. This site included a temple and several large tombs.^[2]