Alexandria is the Pearl of the Mediterranean

Alexandria has long been called the Pearl of the Mediterranean, it lies in the north central part of Egypt on the Mediterranean sea. It was founded by Alexander the Great so there is an interesting mixture of Ancient Greek and Ancient Egyptian history. It’s a major economic center with deep Islamic roots and has an interesting mix of western influence. They say Istanbul is where the East meets the West, which is true, but I also found the same thing to be true in Alexandria.

You have several options getting from Cairo to Alexandria. You can take a 45 minute flight for about 68 USD, take a 3 1/2 hour bus ride for 4 USD or a 3 hour train ride for 2 USD. I took the train because it was the best price and I could see the countryside and all the little towns it went through on the way.

I stayed in one of the many hotels downtown with the goal of being as close as possible to the Corniche. It ended up being a short 5 minute walk and was beautiful being so close to the sea.

The peninsula at the end of the Corniche is the former site of the Pharos Lighthouse, which was one of the original 7 Wonders of the World. Unfortunately it was destroyed by an earthquake in the 14th century, but you can still explore the area where it stood and tour Fort Qaitbey, which was constructed over the remains.

The entirety of the Corniche is worth walking. It’s pleasant experiencing a nice sea breeze in Egypt as generally the air is dry and very hot.

There are plenty of historical sites to visit in Alexandria, I started with Kom Al Dekka. This was a residential area from Graeco-Roman times and included a Greek Theater.

The highlight of Kom Al Dekka was Villa of the Birds. The original villa was destroyed in a fire in the 3rd century but the tile work remains and is a beautiful mosaic worth the trip alone.

The next place you should go is the Catacombs of Kom Ash Shuqqafa. This was my favorite place I went in Alexandria. As far as burial sites go this one is extremely interesting because of the mix of Roman and Ancient Egyptian religion. The entrance is a spiral chamber so the bodies would have had to been lowered by rope.

Constructed in the 2nd century AD, the catacombs were divided by 3 levels. Originally it was a lot smaller, probably designed for a private crypt of a wealthy family but over the 300 years it was used more and more people were buried down there eventually holding more than 300 bodies.

Next place you should go is Pompey’s Pillar. This was the site of the Ancient Egyptian settlement of Rhakotis. Pompey’s Pillar is a giant column made of red granite from Aswan. The same stones they used for the Pyramids. It sits on the great temple of Serapis.