Historical Alexandria Full Day Tour from Cairo - Guide & Lunch & Tickets Inc

The catacombs of kom El shofaqa also known as the hill of treasure, regarded as a huge necropolis and royal cemetery that dates back to the second century AD. The necropolis has a unique mixture of Roman, Hellenistic and pharaonic art elements reflected in the paintings on the wall, and the style of the statues, funeral objects and tombs. The archaeological site was one of the seven wonders in the middle ages.

more than 500 years and was the capital city of Egypt during important eras. Greek scholars and philosophers visited Alexandria in order to learn more about the Egyptian culture that admired the whole world. Under the Ptolemaic rule, they set many roads to connect the city with the surrounded harbors and islands, and also built many construction that are regarded recently as historic monuments. Alexandria library, the lighthouse, Pompey's pillar and other main Alexandria attractions were done in the time of the Ptolemaic dynasty and Roman emperors. The Roman amphitheatre of Alexandria is one of the distinguished highlights of the city as well, in which we are going to discuss its history and design with details in this article.

Its name is misleading. This single column standing on a rocky hilltop in the middle of Alexandria has nothing to do with the Roman Consul and General Gaius Pompey who was Julius Caesar’s rival in a civil war and was murdered by a Ptolomaic pharaoh in 48 BC when he fled to Alexandria. This legend was started by Crusaders, who thought the 100-foot (30 meter) red Aswan granite pillar marked his burial site. The pillar is instead the a triumphal monument erected around 300 AD for the Roman Emperor Diocletian, but the true significance of this archeological site is what stood here before the pillar. It is the site of the Serapeum, Alexandria’s acropolis.

Pharos Island On the northern tip of Pharos Island, Sultan Qaitbay (1468-1496 AD) built the picturesque fort of Qaitbay. The fort was built on the Mediterranean shore to protect the northern borders of the country against invaders. The Pharos Island was a perfect place for constructing strategic buildings. Earlier, Ptolemy II (280-247 BC) built a lighthouse, which was considered as one of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World, rising up to 100 meters high. The lighthouse was subsequently destroyed by several earthquakes and factors of erosion. Blocks of this ancient lighthouse were used to build the stronghold of Qaitbay. In 1475 AD, the Sultan El-Ashraf Seif El-Din Qaitbay went on a touristic trip with his family and chose this strategic site to fortify the northern borders of Egypt. The fortress was inaugurated in 1477 AD.