In addition to the funerary towers, Palmyra boasts a second, later type of tomb, the hypogeum, which was an underground burial chamber. As with the towers, this chamber was filled with loculi fitted with stone carved seals. The best of the 50 or more hypogea that have been discovered and excavated, apart from the Hypogeum of Yarhai, is the Hypogeum of the Three Brothers , which lies just southwest of the Palmyra Cham Palace hotel.
The tomb dates from AD 160 to AD 91. It is very modest in size but contains some beautiful frescoes, including portraits of the three brothers in oval frames. There are also three large sarcophagi topped by figures reclining on couches. You'll notice that these figures, like many in the Palmyra Museum, are headless; the official Palmyra guide suggests that this is because early tomb robbers found they could quite easily sell the stone heads.
The hypogeum can only be visited as part of an organised group, through the museum.
