Day 01
Alexandria's Ancient Landmarks and Coastal Sights
- Meet your tour guide and transfer from the hotel in Alexandria to discover the Catacombs of Kom El Shoqafa, also known as the "hill of treasure." It is 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 wall paintings and in the style of the statues, funeral objects, and tombs. This archaeological site was considered one of the seven wonders of the Middle Ages.
- Move to one of the remarkable structures built during Emperor Diocletian's reign in Egypt - Pompey's Pillar. The column now stands in the heart of Alexandria on top of a temple ruin built during the Ptolemaic Kingdom in 297 AD. The pillar's base diameter is 2.71 meters and it was carved out of red granite from Aswan city. The net weight of the pillar is 285 tons, and it reaches 26 meters high including the base. This prime sight was built to commemorate Emperor Diocletian's victory over an Alexandrian revolt.
- Head to the Roman amphitheatre. It is a typical Roman theatre, consisting of an audience section made of marble, granite columns, five compartments, and thick limestone walls. The theatre once hosted huge ceremonies and events for 600 spectators. The audience section consisted of 13 rows of white marble, and the supporting columns were made of granite exported from Aswan city in southern Egypt. The five compartments at the top of the audience section were probably used to host royals or public figures during performances and were covered by dome-shaped ceilings supported by granite columns to protect the audience from the sun and rain. In the 6th century AD, an earthquake hit Alexandria and destroyed most of these structures, leaving only some ruins that still stand today and reflect the Romans' beautiful architectural skills.
- Visit the Citadel of Qaitbay. The castle is square-shaped, covering an area of 150 meters, and is surrounded by the Mediterranean Sea on each side. The first floor contains a mosque and defence hall that allowed soldiers to move easily and defend the walls during wars. The second floor contains chambers and halls, while the third floor consists of a huge throne chamber where Sultan Qaitbay watched sailing ships approaching the shores of Alexandria. There is also an oven for making wheat bread for the soldiers living in the citadel.
- Reach the Lighthouse of Alexandria, which was almost 150 meters high. It was dedicated to Poseidon - the god of the sea known to the Greeks - and decorated with marble statues. The lighthouse was considered one of the seven wonders of the ancient world. It was mainly designed to guide mariners and sailors, but it was destroyed by an earthquake in 1477. Sultan Qaitbay built his military castle on the ruins of the old lighthouse, and some say that the citadel was built using stones left from the ruined lighthouse.
- Explore the Alexandria library of Bibliotheca Alexandrina. The old Alexandria library preserved knowledge and served a religious purpose for over 600 years until it was burned in the third century. The new Library of Alexandria was renovated in 2002 at a cost of about 200 million dollars and was designed by a Norwegian architect.
- Stroll through Montaza Palace and Gardens.
- Pass through Stanley Bridge, a bridge built to improve traffic flow on the Alexandria Corniche.
- Proceed to the Monument of the Unknown Marine Soldier, located in the Mansheya area of Alexandria. It was built by the Italian community in Alexandria in 1933 AD to honour Khedive Ismail. His statue was placed in the middle of the top of the monument, and later it was turned into the Monument of the Unknown Soldier in 1965 AD, when the statue of Khedive Ismail was removed from the monument.
- Return to the hotel in Alexandria for the night.
(Meals: Breakfast, lunch)
