Alexandria a Mediterranean Port City

Alexandria is a Mediterranean port city. During the Hellenistic period, it was home to a lighthouse that was among the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World.

Bibliotheca Alexandrina is the reimagining of Alexandria’s ancient Great Library. It is now an incredible cultural center with many museums. Its architecture, a giant sun disk looks upon the waterfront Corniche. Inside you’ll find a huge reading room which can hold eight million books. Below the main library visitors can take a look at various exhibitions.

Alexandria's National Museum offers a look at the history of the city. Inside the collection guides visitors from the Pharaoh era in the basement, to the Hellenistic period on the first floor and on to the Byzantine and Islamic periods. There are displays, statuary, and antiquities that have been unearthed around the city.

Walking along the shorefront Corniche road you’ll come to Fort Qaitbey. This fort has been standing guard over the city’s eastern harbor since 1480. Once the mighty Pharos Lighthouse which was one of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World toppled during an earthquake the fort was built by Mamluke Sultan Qaitbey making use of the rubble from the light house. Inside are a series of stone-walled chambers. For a spectacular view over the Mediterranean climb on up to the roof.

Corniche the wide waterfront road in downtown Alexandria has become a symbol of this city. You can see spectacular architecture as you stroll along.

Such impressive buildings as the Cecil Hotel and the Windsor Palace Hotel.

Take the time to explore the area known as Kom el-Dikka or “Mound of Rubble” located in central Alexandria. When the site was being cleared for new housing ancient ruins were discovered including a small Roman theater. Today this park area has the remnants of a Ptolemaic temple and a wealthy Roman-era dwelling known as the Villa of the Birds with mosaic flooring.

The Catacombs of Kom el-Shuaqqfa were carved from the rock on the southern slopes of a hill in the Carmous district. They are thought to date from the 2nd century AD. There is a spiral staircase leading down into the ground to the main rotunda. You can see the impressive burial chamber and the Sepulchral Chapel. A large room known as the Triclinium Funebre was once used for banquets to honor the dead.

Southwest of the city you’ll find Carmous where there is a hill with the remains of ancient walls, architectural fragments and rubble. Rising from the ruins of the famous Serapeion or Temple of Serapis, once used to store the overflow of manuscripts from the Great Library of Alexandria is Pompey’s Pillar. This is a column of red Aswan granite with a Corinthian capital and rises up almost 27 meters in height.

Montazah Garden is a peaceful green oasis on the eastern edge of the city. Here you’ll find tall palm trees, trimmed lawns and blossoming flowers. It was built as a hunting lodge in the 1890s by Khedive Abbas Hilmi.

You’ll see the unusually designed Montazah Palace with impressive Florentine-inspired towers and Rococo. It is not open to the public but you can stroll in the gardens. On the coastal end of the park is a small beach with a bridge leading to a small island.

Ras el-Tin Palace was at one time a summer place for Egypt’s sultans. This is also the well-known location where King Farouk – Egypt’s last king – officially abdicated in 1952 before he sailed out of Alexandria’s harbor to exile in Italy. Today the Egyptian Navy uses the palace so visitors cannot view the interior.

Cleopatra’s Palace makes for an exciting underwater adventure. No one knows if the famous lady herself ever stayed here but you can view sphinxes, tumbled columns and statuary when you dive into the waters of Alexandria’s Eastern Harbor area.

Cavafy Museum is a small museum that contains many manuscripts and correspondence from one of Alexandria’s most famous sons, Constantine Cavafy, a Greek Alexandrian poet. His poetry captured the vast history of Alexandria and has become one of the greatly celebrated library figures of the city.

Anfushi the working-class district stretches west from Fort Qaitbey and the harbor. Here you can explore many different lanes and relax at some of Alexandria’s best seafood restaurants. After sunset you can enjoy the traditional coffee houses. Here you’ll also find the city’s shipyards and a bustling and active fish market.

The Abu Abbas al-Mursi Mosque is one of the city’s major landmarks. It dates from 1796 and was built over the tomb of the 13th century Sufi holy man Abu Abbas al-Mursi. He became a highly esteemed religious leader in Alexandria and his teachings are still revered in Egypt. This huge cream-colored mosque is a major pilgrimage site. The mosque has an impressive facade with swirling Islamic calligraphy designs and motifs. Inside are beautiful and intricate mosaic halls.