With a different background story than most of Egypt, Alexandria showcases artifacts from its days under the Ptolemaic Dynasty and the Roman Empire. Let’s travel to Alexandria to explore this different side of Egypt’s history, found in the city’s Roman theatre, catacombs and mosaic floors.
Alexandria may not boast the famous attractions of Cairo or Luxor, but what it does have makes a visit worthwhile. There is so much to see, in fact, that we are presenting Alexandria in two posts. In this post, we explore Alexandria’s older attractions; in the next post, we’ll look at its more recent history.
A Little of Alexandria’s History
Egypt suffered under oppressive Persian rulers in the decades before Alexander the Great arrived. Egyptians, therefore, saw the Greek leader’s arrival as an opportunity to revive their culture, and they welcomed him as their own. Soon after his arrival, in 331 BCE, he founded the city of Alexandria. It continued to serve as the capital of Egypt for over 900 years.
Alexander was wise and believed a successful leader should learn and understand the gods, traditions, and building styles of the country. He introduced a Hellenistic slant to some, but overall, he encouraged traditional Egyptian beliefs to continue. When Alexander died, his lands were split into two. The Ptolemy Dynasty reigned over Egypt, and they continued to follow Alexander’s lead. Their rule ended with Cleopatra VII as the last Pharaoh.
If you have read anything about Cleopatra VII, you already know a little of Alexandria’s story. Reigning from 70 to 10 BCE, Cleopatra was the last pharaoh of the Ptolemaic Hellenistic Kingdom of Egypt. As Pharaoh, she developed a close relationship with the Romans, including Julius Caesar and Mark Antony. Initially, she intended to build allied relationships with them, but it obviously went further; she had a child with Julius Caesar and two with Marc Antony. Cleopatra was an interesting leader as she was the only Greek Hellenistic ruler to speak Egyptian.
After leading as pharaoh for 21 years, she lost her reign in a battle against the Augustan-led Romans, who also made Alexandria their capital. Augustus went on to become the Founder of the Roman Empire. After losing this battle, both Mark Antony and Cleopatra committed suicide. Her children also suffered. Her child with Caesar was killed, and her two with Mark Antony were sent to Rome.
Although Alexandria’s landmarks aren’t as famous as others in the country, we found several wonderful places to visit. In this post, we’ll take you to some of the city’s ancient landmarks.
Catacombs of Kom el Shoqafa
The three-storied subterranean Catacombs of Kom el Shoqafa are a fascinating site. Built by the Romans in the 1st century AD, the large cemetery continued to be used for hundreds of years. From a rather plain, small exterior, climb down a spiral staircase to reach the first level, 15-20 m (50-65 ft) deep underground.
Once at the bottom of this narrow entry, we were surprised at how large it is below ground. The staircase lets you out at a rotunda where hallways branch out in all directions. Lining each hall are empty loculi, or rock-cut funerary niches. Layer after layer, room after room, hundreds of these niches fill this large space. These small funerary niches were built to house a few mummies each. Unlike other Egyptian burial sites we visited, most didn’t have coffins.
In the centre is a triclinium, a large meeting room used by the families during funerals.
The best surprise is on the 2nd subterranean floor, 25 m (80 ft) deep. Here you’ll find a highly decorated tomb with three sarcophagi, all of which are adorned with wonderful carvings. Since this site was used for hundreds of years, there is a unique blend of Egyptian, Greek, and Roman influences ranging from the typical Greek garlands and masks to the Egyptian deities and scenes from the Egyptian Book of the Dead.
There’s a third level to the catacombs, but it is closed. When the catacombs were discovered in the early 1900s, this level was flooded and hasn’t been restored.
Not only are there catacombs, but the above-ground cemetery also has decorated tombs. Tigran Tomb is in the best condition. Dated to the 2nd and 3rd centuries, the walls are decorated with frescoes of Egyptian deities and Greco-Roman designs.
Entry fee – 200 EGP ($4 USD); Opening Hours – 9 am to 5 pm, closes at 4 pm in the winter. Time Needed – Expect to spend an hour.
Pompey Pillar
A few blocks away from the catacombs is Pompey Pillar. Built in 297 AD, the pillar was erected as a tribute to Roman Emperor Diocletian. A statue of the emperor was originally on its top, above the Corinthian capital. Standing 20.4 m (70 ft) high, the monolith is the tallest ancient column outside of Rome and Constantinople. Made of red granite from Aswan, 800 km away, it weighs 285 tons. Its size made us wonder how they ever brought it here or raised it to a standing position.
The name, Pompey Pillar, came during the Crusades after rumours spread that Pompey’s ashes were on top of the column. Since he died 340 years before it was built, it is highly unlikely, but the name stuck.
Today, two granite sphinxes stand at its base. They were not originally under the pillar, though. Instead, they were brought from another part of Alexandria. Their noses are broken, but otherwise they are in good condition.
The pillar was erected in the centre of an ancient Serapeum Temple, built during the Ptolemy Dynasty. Serapeums are dedicated to the god Serapis, a Greek version of the Egyptian god Apis. At its height, it was the third largest temple in ancient Egypt, after Karnak and Luxor. Today, however, barely anything remains. The local Jewish population were the first to damage it during the reign of Emperor Trajan in the 1st or 2nd century. After being rebuilt, it was then completely destroyed under Christian Roman Emperor Theodosius I in 291 AD.
We visited a Serapeum in Saqqara, but that was a catacomb and not a temple.
Entry fee – 200 EGP ($4 USD); Opening Hours – 8 am to 5 pm, closes at 4 pm in the winter. Time Needed – You will only need 15-20 minutes to visit.
Getting to Pompey Pillar
Although Pompey Pillar is located very close to the catacombs, if you want to walk between the two, Google Maps leads you through a very poor neighbourhood, over piles of garbage. The actual entrance is on the other side, on Karmooz Road. Instead of following Google Maps, take the main road around to the entrance. While it is probably not unsafe, it was still quite unnerving walking through this extremely poor community. Most will feel more comfortable taking a taxi.
Roman Amphitheatre
As with most Roman Amphitheatres around the world, the one in Alexandria is in ruins. It was a massive complex and there were actually two theatre seating areas. A small, almost circular one was built first in the 4th century AD and used for 300 years. It was a more intimate theatre for musical performances. In the 6th century, the seating was expanded to house larger audiences and was in a more typical horseshoe shape. It also had a domed roof, but most of this theatre is in ruins.
Don’t forget to explore the old portico under the small theatre. This old hallway lets you feel like you’ve travelled back in time.
Although it is named ‘Roman Theatre’, there is much more to see than a theatre. The complex has colonnaded walkways, baths, lecture theatres and social function halls. As well, a small museum above the theatre displays a mix of artifacts found around the city.
At the far end of the museum are the remains of homes from the distirct Kom al Dikka. This neighbourhood was inhabited from the 3rd century BCE until the 7th century AD, so many are much older than the Roman complex. What we see today are the unearthed remains of 1st- 3rd centuries AD homes. Most are barely recognizable as ruined townhouses, but one stands out.
Protected by a metal roof, the mosaic flooring of the Villa of the Birds showcases some of the magnificent floors from these times. It is believed that the villa was redecorated over the years because the floors are dated to different times. The oldest two are the panther mosaic from 100 AD, and the rosette centrepiece from 133 AD. The birds are from much later, from the 2nd century. While there were likely many elaborately decorated, multi-level houses in this district, not much remains.
Entry Fee – 200 EGP ($4 USD); payment only by credit/debit cards; Opening Hours – 9 am – 4 pm. Time Needed – You can see the entire complex in an hour.
For information on where to stay and how to get to Alexandria, please visit our post Discover Alexandria – Egypt’s Mediterranean City.
Click on the link to read our Travel Tips For Egypt.
To read more of our posts from Egypt, click here.
Coming Next – Discover Alexandria – Egypt’s Mediterranean City
To read about more of our adventures go to Destinations.
If you like what you read, please comment or share (with credit) using the links below.
We’d love to hear from you, please leave a comment.