Short Description: Drive to Alexandria along the desert road (about 3 hours drive each way).Visit the Catacombs of Kom El Shoqafa, Pompey’s Pillar and the Roman Amphitheatre. Lunch. View Fort Qaitbay. Visit Alexandria National Museum OR the Royal Jewelry Museum. Visit Alexandria’s new library . Drive back to Cairo.
Tour duration 11-12 hours
Drive to Alexandria, a city with many exceptional historic sites, a cosmopolitan culture, and Mediterranean Sea views. Alexander the Great founded the city in 332 BC. It became renowned as a port and for its library and over subsequent centuries people from many countries settled here. It is Egypt’s second largest city, after Cairo. Spread along more than 30 km (19 miles) of coastline, Alexandria is especially popular in Summer with Egyptians travelling here and further along the North Coast to enjoy beautiful beaches.
We visit the Catacombs of Kom El Shoqafa which consist of three levels of tombs and chambers cut into 35 meters (115 feet) of rock, the largest known Roman burial site in Egypt. It was possibly built to house the body of Cleopatra VII (the most famous Cleopatra). We then see Pompey’s Pillar which is the highest memorial column in Egypt, 30 meters (98 feet) in height and made from red granite from Aswan, made in the 4th century AD, then explore the impressive Roman Amphitheatre. Built in the 2nd century AD, the theater of 13 semi-circular tiers of seats had an audience capacity of about 800. Constructed from white marble brought from Europe, its columns are made of red granite from Aswan. Nearby is a large villa which dates back to the reign of Emperor Hadrian (117-138 AD), referred to as Villa of the Birds because of the subject of its mosaic floor. There is also a Roman bath house.
Lunch, we recommend a seafood restaurant as seafood is an important part of Alexandrian cuisine.
In the afternoon, we view Fort Qaitbay, built in 1477 by Sultan Qaitbey on the site of the ancient lighthouse Pharos which was one of the Seven Wonders of the World. Some remnants of the lighthouse are seen in the structure of the fort.
Alexandria National Museum OR the Royal Jewelry Museum.
We travel a short distance along the coast to visit Alexandria’s new
library Bibliotheca Alexandrina, Not to be confused with the famous ancient Library which was destroyed, construction of the new library began in 1995 and it was officially inaugurated in 2002. The Library houses more than 8 million books, specialized libraries and collections, a planetarium and conference center. Drive back to Cairo.
