Alexandria
Alexandria’s ancient library was one of the greatest of all classical institutions, and while replacing it might seem a Herculean task, the new…
Must-see attractions in Alexandria
Alexandria
This excellent museum sets a high benchmark with its summary of Alexandria’s past. Housed in a beautifully restored Italianate villa, the small but…
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Alexandria
Mahmoud Said (1897–1964) was one of Egypt’s finest 20th-century artists, even though he is little known outside his country. A judge by profession, he…
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Alexandria
Discovered accidentally in 1900 when a donkey disappeared through the ground, these catacombs make up the largest-known Roman burial site in Egypt and one…
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Pompey’s Pillar & the Temple of Serapeum
Alexandria
A massive 30m column looms over the debris of the glorious ancient settlement of Rhakotis, the original township from which Alexandria grew. Known as…
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Alexandria
Kom Al Dikka was a well-off residential area in Graeco-Roman times, with lovely villas, bathhouses and a theatre. The area was known at the time as the…
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Alexandria
The Eastern Harbour is dominated by the bulky walls of Fort Qaitbey, built on a narrow peninsula over the remains of the legendary Pharos lighthouse by…
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Alexandria
This stately mosque was built over the tomb of a revered 13th-century Sufi saint, Abu Abbas Al Mursi, from Murcia in Spain. Several successive mosques…
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Alexandria
The Alexandrian-Greek poet Constantine Cavafy spent his last 25 years in an apartment above a brothel on the former Rue Lepsius, a flat now preserved as…
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Alexandria
About 1km east of Montazah, Mamoura is the ‘beachiest’ of Alexandria’s beaches. There’s a cobblestone boardwalk with a few ice cream shops and food stalls…
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Alexandria
The Antiquities Museum at the Bibliotheca Alexandrina has a well-curated exhibition of artefacts that romp from the Pharaonic, through the Greek and Roman…
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Alexandria
This wonderful and little-visited collection of 16th- to 20th-century paintings reflecting the city's cosmopolitan flair is housed in an old villa. Some…
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Alexandria
The beautiful little Terbana Mosque stands at the junction of Sharia Faransa and Wekalet Al Limon. This entire quarter, known as Gumruk, is located on…
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Alexandria
Where northern Anfushi hits the sea, you can wander among huge wooden vessels in various states of construction. In small workshops, craftspeople make…
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Alexandria
The 19th-century Montazah palace is off-limits, but the surrounding lush gardens are prime strolling territory. There’s an attractive sandy cove here with…
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Alexandria
Among the largest synagogues in the Middle East, this magnificent Italian-built structure served Alexandria’s once-thriving and cosmopolitan Jewish…
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Alexandria
For archaeologists the discovery of the port of Herakleion-Thonis in Aboukir has been a triumph. Excavations have revealed a huge amount of treasure…
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Alexandria
This royal-quarter area in the Eastern Harbour has yielded some of Alexandria's most interesting underwater antiquities. Today divers can see a couple of…
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Alexandria
This site, just offshore from Fort Qaitbey, contains sphinxes, columns, capitals and statues dating from the Pharaonic, Greek and Roman eras as well as…
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Alexandria
The World of Shadi Abdel Salam, named for the late cult-film director, painter, script writer and set designer born in Alexandria in 1930, shows a display…
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Alexandria
Along Alexandria's western shore, past the shipyards, you’ll spot Ras El Tin Palace. It is most spectacular seen from the Mediterranean Sea. Originally…
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Alexandria
The Shatby area of central Alexandria has been a home to the city's necropolis for centuries, although this Coptic cemetery is a more recent (for…
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Alexandria
The Manuscript Museum at the Bibliotheca Alexandrina hosts a beautifully displayed collection of ancient texts, antiquarian books and maps, including a…
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Alexandria
The planetarium at Bibliotheca Alexandrina is a futuristic neon-lit sphere, looming on the plaza like a mini Death Star from Star Wars. It shows 3D films…
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Alexandria
Miami Beach (pronounced me-ami) has a sheltered cove with a water slide and jungle gym set up in the sea for kids to frolic on, but note that these get…
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Alexandria
This intimate walled Jewish cemetery has largely escaped vandalism and is pretty well kept. The many graves stand as lonely reminders of Alexandria's once…
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Alexandria
This neoclassical monument is a tribute to the Egyptians who lost their lives in the 1967 and 1973 wars with Israel.
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Alexandria
On a tiny bay with the old Stanley Bridge soaring above it, this beach has a modest patch of sand for bathing backed by three levels of beach cabins. The…
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Alexandria
The picturesque Shorbagi Mosque lies at the heart of the old Ottoman Anfushi district. Built in the mid-18th century, it shows how salvaged remnants of…
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Alexandria
This massive mosque, built in the 1940s, is a major landmark. It played an important role in the 2011 revolution as a gathering point for many of the city…
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Alexandria
This statue of Mohammed Ali, Egypt's modernising 19th-century ruler, presides over Midan Tahrir.
