Our first destination at Egypt was Alexandria, the second largest city of Egypt lying on the Mediterranean coast. The city was founded by Alexander the Great around 330 BC and was the capital under Ptolemy and the other successors of Alexander including the period of Romans till the Muslim conquest of Egypt in 641 AD. It must be mentioned here that the city was also a major center of Christianity.
From the 18th century, it grew to be a major industrial center and shipping hub due to the proximity to the Suez Canal.
Multiple invasions and wars had ensured that most of the ancient city has been destroyed and what we see today is whatever little was left and what has been rebuilt in modern times. Many of the historical and architectural monuments we visit today at Alexandria are the result of excavations and attempts at conservation.
The most important sight is the underground tomb complex dating back to the 2nd and 4th centuries known as the Catacombs which we visited. That requires more detailed description and will be covered in the next episode. In this episode, I will cover the other interesting details of Alexandria.
Our Visit
Driving down from Cairo, Alexandria is 220 kms away and it took us around 3 hours to cover the distance. Most of the drive was through open desert land and the landscape looked daunting.
The vast desert….
The road through the desert
Enroute, we had a small refreshment halt ….
The stop enroute….like an oasis!!
We came across small towns all along.
A typical street scene in an Egyptian town
As we reached the outskirts of Alexandria, the streets looked more like that of any modern city.
Approaching Alexandria.
Once we left the main part of the city, the appearance was generally like that of an under developed country with narrow crowded streets, unfinished and unclean exteriors of buildings .
Typical street scenes in Alexandria
Driving through the narrow streets, we reached Pompey’s pillar.
Pompey’s Pillar
A reminder of the Roman past of this area, it is a triumphal pillar in honor of the Roman emperor Diocletian built between 298 and 302 AD consisting of a monolithic Corinthian column . This column once had the statue of the emperor atop it. There are two sphinxes , one on either side of this column.
This monolithic column is 26 mts tall and held a 7 mts tall statue of the emperor on top and is made of pink granite. There are some Greek inscriptions at the lower part of the column.
The connection of this pillar to the Roman politician Pompey is not yet clear though it was believed in the Middle Ages that the his ashes were in a pot on the column.
The Pompey’s pillar and the Sphinxes (under renovation)
The entire area surrounding this column consists of the ruins of the Serapeum, an ancient Greek temple dedicated to the God Serapis. The God Serapis has a mix of characters of the Egyptian Gods, Osiris and Apes and Greek Gods Zeus and Dionysus.
The temple is believed to have been looted and what remains today are only the ruins….some broken pillars and stones. There are underground tombs too.
The ruins of the Serapeum
Heiroglyphic inscriptions
After visiting Pompey’s Pillar, we proceeded for lunch at a local restaurant with views of the Mediterranean sea.
Lunch with a Mediterranean view….
Our next halt at Alexandria was at the Library.
Bibliotheca Alexandrina
This is actually a library and cultural center overlooking the Mediterranean Sea at Alexandria. There was an ancient library in Alexandria which was one of the largest in the world. The revived library inaugurated in 2002 contains space for eight million books and a reading area of 20000 sq mts on eleven cascading levels. It also houses a conference center, specialized libraries for the blind, museums, art exhibitions and a manuscript restoration library and a planetarium.
The outer wall is made of grey granite with inscriptions in 120 languages.
The exterior of the main building with inscriptions in 120 languages
Once inside, there is a model describing the unique shape of the building.
The model depicting the unique shape of the building
The planetarium at the complex
The main reading room stands below a glass roof shaped like a sundial illuminating the room equally throughout the day.
The spacious reading room
Sharing some pictures of the exhibits in the museums
Bust of President Sadat and some of his personal items in the Sadat Museum
Bedouin jewellery and a papyrus painting
One other unique display was of the covering of the Kaaba (holy shrine) of Mecca.
The covering of the holy shrine in Mecca
Driving from the library towards the Citadel of Alexandria, the views of an Alexandrian evening by the sea were beautiful…
An Alexandrian evening by the Mediterranean
Qaitbay Citadel
The Qaitbay Citadel or the Citadel Of Alexandria is a defensive fortress on the Mediterranean coast. It lies at the site of The Lighthouse of Alexandria which was one of the wonders of the Ancient World.
The lighthouse of Alexandria called the Pharos of Alexandria was built during the reign of Ptolemy II (280-247 BC). It was one of the tallest man made structures of that time .The lighthouse was damaged during multiple earthquakes that rocked the area between the 11th and 14th centuries.
The citadel was built at that site by the Mamluke Sultan Qaitbay in the 15th century as part of his coastal defense against the Turks. It functioned under the Ottomans but gradually fell into neglect. In the 20th century, the Egyptian Antiquities council restored it. An Egyptian Maritime Museum also functions here now.
The Citadel as seen across the bay
The entrance leads to a central courtyard, with the main fort towards the sea.
As one enters
The central courtyard
The main structure is a square building with towers on the four corners giving it the typical look of a fort. There are three levels and windows at different levels for shooting in case of attack.
The Citadel located on the seaward side of the central courtyard
Inside the main building are a series of halls and corridors with distinctive architectural style.
As one goes up the ramp built along the side, one reaches the seaward side offering great views of the Mediterranean sea.
The ladies pose for a picture with the Mediterranean sea behind.
By then, the sun was setting on Alexandria and we had a long drive back to Cairo. So we all got back into the bus and reached Cairo looking forward to another exciting day of the tour…. to the catacombs of Alexandria
See you next week at the catacombs. Till the, do give your comments and feedback.
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