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Top Alexandria Landmarks: See reviews and photos of sights to see in Alexandria, Egypt on Tripadvisor.
- Explore The Museums of The Bibliotheca Alexandrina
- Stroll The Corniche
- Head Underground at The Catacombs of Kom El-Shuqqafa
- Fort Qaitbey
- Kom El-Dikka
- Pompey's Pillar
- Dive Alexandria's Underwater Ruins
- Alexandria National Museum
- Montazah Gardens
- Dine Out in Alexandria's Fish Restaurants
Most visitors to Alexandria beeline first to this modern re-imagining of Alexandria's ancient Great Library. The Bibliotheca Alexandrina is one of Egypt's most important contemporary landmarksand the cultural heart of the city. It contains one of the modern world's most ambitious librariesand a host of museums exploring Alexandria's history and her...
Downtown Alexandria's wide, waterfront Corniche Roadis as much a symbol of the city as any of its monuments. Strolling the Corniche, particularly the section between the main shorefront square of Midan Saad Zaghloul to Fort Qaitbey on the Eastern Harbor's western tip, gives you a real feel for the era of cosmopolitan elegance and decadence that mar...
The Catacombs of Kom el-Shuqqafa are hewn from the rock on the southern slopes of a hill, in the Carmous district. Thought to date from the 2nd century CE, they offer an admirable example of the characteristic Alexandrian fusion of Egyptian and Greco-Roman styles. Discovered in 1900 (thanks to a donkey falling into them) they are laid out on severa...
Walk the long shorefront Corniche road of the Eastern Harbor heading west, and you'll finally arrive at Fort Qaitbey. It may be a poor substitute for what was once the site of the mighty Pharos Lighthouse–one of the seven wonders of the ancient world, which was toppled by a violent earthquake in 1303–but this squat fort has been standing guard over...
Nobody thought much of the ancient rubble mound in central Alexandria until, in the 1960s, they decided to clear the site to make way for new housing. As work commenced, the area known as Kom el-Dikka ("Mound of Rubble") revealed a whole swag of ancient ruins buried beneath, including a small Roman theater. Today the area is a small archaeological ...
In Carmous, near the Catacombs of Kom el-Shuqqafa, is a hill littered with the remains of ancient walls, architectural fragments, and rubble on which Alexandria's only fully intact ancient monument is left standing. Pompey's Pillar rises from the ruins of the ancient and famous Serapeion (Temple of Serapis), which was once used to store the overflo...
Unlike diving in the Red Sea, dives in Alexandria are not about colorful coral reefs and fish life. Instead, dive sites in the Eastern Harbor area are all about ancient underwater ruins. For divers, Alexandria provides a unique opportunity to dive amid the toppled statues and columns of the ancient city. Be aware that underwater visibility is low w...
Alexandria's National Museum is a must-stop if you want to get to grips with the vast history of this famed city. Inside, the collection guides you from the Pharaonic era (in the basement), to the Hellenistic heyday, when Alexandria and Egypt were governed by the Ptolemy dynasty begun by Alexander the Great (on the ground floor), and up to the Byza...
An oasis of calm on the city's eastern edge, Montazah is a lush haven of tall palm trees, trimmed lawns, and blossoming flowers that was once off-limits to all but the royal court and their hangers-on. Built as a hunting lodge in the 1890s by Khedive Abbas Hilmi, it was later extended substantially by King Fuad and replaced Ras el-Tin Palace as the...
Many visitors come to Alexandria primely to dine on the city's fresh seafood. The two best areas for restaurants serving fresh fish are the harborfront, where you get sea views with your meal, and the working-class district of Anfushi, which stretches west from Fort Qaitbey and the harbor in a warren of lanes. Just after sunset, Anfushi is the city...
Mar 28, 2024 · Alexandria, major city and urban governorate in Egypt. Once among the greatest cities of the Mediterranean world and a center of Hellenic scholarship and science, Alexandria was the capital of Egypt from its founding by Alexander the Great in 332 BCE until its surrender to Arab forces in 642 CE.
- The Royal Jewelry Museum. Of all of Egypt’s royals, Tutankhamun is the most famous for the gold bling his tomb contained. But the Ottoman royal family also had a penchant for sparkly things and could really give the boy king’s “wonderful things” a run for their money.
- Kom al Dikka. One of the most popular tour stops in Alexandria is Kom al-Dikka, the site of the so-called Roman Amphitheater, located near the main train station for visitors from Cairo.
- Kom al-Shoqafa (Catacombs) The name of this site means “Mound of Sherds”. It probably was an apt description of the area when a donkey’s leg got stuck in a hole on the site in the early 20th century, uncovering a deep set of catacombs.
- Fort Qait Bey. This fort stands on a promontory at the edge of Alexandria that juts out into the sea. Constructed by Sultan Qait Bey around 1480 CE as part of his defense of the Mediterranean coast, it continued in this role until the British attacked in 1882, starting to fall into ruin.
Jul 18, 2023 · Alexandria is a port city on the Mediterranean Sea in northern Egypt founded in 331 BCE by Alexander the Great. It was the site of the Pharos (lighthouse), one of the seven wonders of the ancient world...
- Joshua J. Mark
- When was Alexandria, Egypt founded and by whom?Alexandria, Egypt was founded in 331 BCE by Alexander the Great who named it after himself.
- Why was Alexandria, Egypt important?Alexandria, Egypt was an important intellectual, cultural, and commercial center. It was located on the Mediterranean Sea on the Nile Delta and so...
- Where was the Lighthouse of Alexandria located?The Lighthouse of Alexandria was located where the 15th century Fort Qaitbey stands today.
- Why did Alexandria, Egypt decline and when?Alexandria, Egypt began to decline in the 4th and 5th centuries CE due to religious intolerance which sparked civil unrest. By the 7th century CE,...
Apr 15, 2020 · Delve into the local souks, marvel at Pompey’s Column, and explore ancient ruins at every turn. It’s a fascinating place to visit, and to inspire your trip, here are the best things to do in Alexandria Egypt. Don’t leave home without: Lonely Planet Egypt (Travel Guide)
Greek period. Alexander the Great founded the city in 332 bce after the start of his Persian campaign; it was to be the capital of his new Egyptian dominion and a naval base that would control the Mediterranean. The choice of the site that included the ancient settlement of Rhakotis (which dates to 1500 bce) was determined by the abundance of ...
