Alexandria 

The history of Alexandria city

Alexander and those who came after took the city of Alexandria as the capital of Egypt for almost thousand of years until the Islamic conquer by Amr Bin Al-Aas in 641. at the beginning of the fourth century B.C. Alexandria was nothing but a small port town counting on fishing ,and Egypt back then was under the Persian domination after the fall of the Pharaohs dynasties 343 B.C . However, the two empires of the Greeks and Persians were competing to rule the world and whenever one gains power the other gets more powerful.

Alexander the founder

Alexander the great was a Macedonian king ,he was taught by the well-known philosopher Aristotle and grew up to be the most brilliant warrior of all time , he dreamt of defeating the Persian empire and eliminating all of his competitors in order to rise with his own empire .indeed ,he achieved what he was looking for and controlled half of the world even before he reaches 30 years old . after his father's Philip the second assassination he claimed the throne in age of 20 , the people and his own advisors thought he will not hold on for too long with such young age and lack of experience besides all of the conspiracies around him , but he didn't stop impressing everyone with his military mind and honest vision , so he decided to follow up his father's footsteps to spread the Macedonian dominance.

the young king started facing his first enemy the Persian emperor Daruis the third ,he took over Iraq. Syria and Gaza and before setting up for the next state he offered his opponent peace but it was rejected anyway, so he sieged them for weeks and entered Egypt where he founded Alexandria by leaving the mission of building the prominent city to his commander Cleomenes , it seemed to be a fact as told he never lost a battle and always was sure of victory . Alexander was growing very fund of the Egyptian civilization ,some said he traveled through deserts to counsel Ammon god of the sun as ancient pharaohs assumed.

Alexandria sightseeing Every city has its own personality as supposed revealed in its architectural identity. Architect art refers to the people’s own culture and their sense of beauty .Alexandria city or as its called “the bride of the middle sea “ full of rare monuments expressing the creativity of construction, for example the lighthouse which was built on Pharaohs island in Ptolemy the second reign was considered from the seven wonders of the ancient world, its height between 100_120 meter and remained the tallest handmade structure after the pyramids of Giza, this lasting legacy was designed by the Greek Sostratus to guide mariners and protect sailors but unfortunately it was destroyed by the earthquake in the 1330 s. if you intended to travel to Egypt don’t forget to choose a package includes a tour on the city to enjoy the sightseeing. you should keep yourself updated in the library of Alexandria which can houses more than 8 million book, or maybe you can take a look at the Pompey’ Pillar which reaches around 27 meter, it was constructed to commemorate the roman emperor Diocletain in the third century and considered the highest cenotaph of the world, near beside the column there are two small statues similar to sphinx made of pink granite and belong to Ptolemy the sixth region. Countless attractions you will find in the city, the roman theater ,the national museum, the Greek roman museum and last but not least Qaitbay citadel.

Alexandria Library

The history of Alexandria library Scientists argued about the real founder of the bibliotheca ,some said it was designed in the reign of Ptolemy the first and others assumed that the founding was by Ptolemy the second ,even that some archaeologists said that it was planned for the library in Alexander the great era 23 centuries ago, nothing is confirmed but all we know is the great library also known as “the royal library”  the first and largest public library the ancient world ever witnessed . The First public library the idea of library was known since the early antiquity but it was only for the royals and priests , the library of Alexandria may not be the first library in history but it was the first public one for common people where the pharaonic and Greek cultures engaged together, the west knowledge combined with the east science producing the Hellenistic civilization .the guides of the library imposed the working teachers and scholars to leave a copy of their writings and publications in order to gain the library its research center and to be a reference to anyone seeking awareness and education. The library flourished back then even more by housing about 700,000 scrolls of philosophy and poetry prominents such as Humorous and Aristotle collection, it became an academy for those who desire nothing except for knowledge and free themselves from all political affiliations and racism. The burn of Alexandria library Many stories were told as many mythologies were assumed about the destruction of the ancient library, some said that Julius Ceaser burned 101 ships on the Mediterranean coast during the war with Ptolemy the third ,the younger brother of Cleopatra, this conquest led to huge fire burned the bibliotheca in 48 B.C. other scientists accuse Amr bin Al-aas making him responsible for the library fire during the Islamic conquest, but there's no evidence of such claims, Nothing is certain though . Collection of Alexandria new library The idea of resurrect the destroyed ancient library was proposed by Alexandria university in 1974 which faced positive and supporting responds from the international community, in 1988 the UNISCO sponsored for architectural competition (best design for Alexandria new library) which was won by the Norwegian firm Snøhetta. the actual construction began in 1994 and completed in 2002 with 200$ million budget, today, the library receives about 800,00 visitors annually with a main target to be an academy of dialogue and rationality just like the ancient bibliotheca .the interior design of the library is modern and striking with 160 meter  diameter glass paneled  roof, the outer wall built of Aswan gray  granite with 120 different characters from rare scripts carved into these walls. In addition of planetarium (large dome)and The great main reading hall which covers about 700,000 m² with an accommodation of 2000 readers in one time, the library also contain 200 rooms for scholars and researches ,moreover, the books shelved in the reading hall are donated from all over the world with different languages and subjects. Exhibition gallery and museum of Alexandria library the gallery located at the heart of the library and covers the space of 344m2, it comprises  around 120 manuscripts and rare scrolls displayed in cases ,12 display cases were donated by Italy according to the cooperation agreement between the two countries ,20 of them are Egyptian made cases . the exhibition gallery also displays two pieces of kiswa (holly Ka'aba cover suite).the antiquities museum displays almost 1,100 artifacts and documents date back to the Pharaonic era up to the Islamic civilization, including the Greek-Roman and early Coptic periods. The library has a manuscripts restoration laboratory besides two more exhibitions, one for original engravings and lithographs ,the other one is for literary and Egyptian cinematic works.

Citadel Of Qaitbay

The interior design of the citadel the castle is square shaped with 150 meter area surrounded by the  middle sea from each side, the first floor contains a mosque and defense hall that allow soldiers to pass easily and defense the walls during wars, the second floor contains chambers and halls while the third floor consist of a huge throne chamber where Qaitbay sultan used to watch the sailing ships towards Alexandria shores, also has an oven for making wheat bread for the soldiers living in the citadel.

Citadel Of Qaitbay History The citadel during the Mamluky era Qaitbay citadel has its important position one the white sea coast ,that's why many sultans and kings took care of it through the ages, during the mamluky period we can see that Qansouh sultan provided the citadel of Alexandria with soldiers ,military supplies and weapons . the citadel during the ottoman empire when the ottomans invaded Egypt they made the citadel as a defending gate to the northern coast of Egypt ,but the ottomans couldn't stand no longer and the empire started to get weak leads the citadel to lose its strategy and defending importance , while the dominating power of the ottomans began to vanish by time the French forces lead by napoleon succeed to take over Alexandria then rest of Egypt 1798. Mohammed Ali pasha period when Mohamed Ali Pasha claimed the throne of Egypt ,his first duty was to secure the coasts of Egypt , he renovated the citadel walls ,towers and devolved the defending line to match the military development of the 19th century .in 1882 the revolution of Ahmed Oraby started then the English occupation which one of its results was destroying the castle leading to some cracks in its walls until the Arabian Antiques departure made some renovations to Qaitbay citadel in 1904.

Catacombs Of Kom El Shoqafa

Catacombs of kom El shoqafa The catacombs of kom El shofaqa also known as the hill of treasure, 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 paintings on the wall, and the style of the statues, funeral objects and tombs. The archaeological site was one of the seven wonders in the middle ages. The catacombs interior design The underground catacombs are a bit scary; the scene of the carved stone tombs next to each other gives the illusion of sincere horror, but at the same time historical atmosphere. The Ptolemaic is Hellenistic kingdom that was based in Egypt, who followed the steps of ancient Egyptians of constructing underground hidden tombs for pharaohs and their wives. The Ptolemaic were so affected by the Egyptians, they believed in their concepts about death, after life journey and gods, and this is very shown in the catacombs that shows the pharaonic identity beside the Roman character. The catacombs are serial of Alexandrian tombs reach deep under the ground, consists of three levels of 35 meters burial chambers cut into bedrocks. There is a rounded entrance leads to the catacombs levels; the third level is flooded by ground water leaks, and cannot be accessed. People usually enter the catacombs by rounded shaft with staircases lead to the principle tomb and the center piece which is an antechamber with columns. This center piece leads to inner sanctum. The antechamber is covered by cravings for Egyptian god Anubis (the god of dead) dressed like Romans, and some statue for Romans emperors who ruled Egypt during this period. The antechamber maybe the major sight of the catacombs and the most important for having all the decorations and statues. Also, There are two passages lead to the Hall of Caracalla which has its own staircases. one of  the catacombs main feature, are the two tombs of emperor Tigrane and wardian which are located few meters from the entrance. The origin of the name Catacombs of kom El shoqafa also known as (the mount of shards) in a reference for the clay objects left and the stone mud construction. in fact, this archaeological site have too many names. Some called it catacombs because it is similar to Rome Christian catacombs. But Arab came after and named it (the treasure hill).

Pompey's Pillar

Greco Roman culture in Egypt Macedonian kings followed by Greek kings and Roman Emperors left their figure print on the land of gods, Egypt, by constructing monumental sites that reflect both of the ancient Egyptian style and Greco Roman identity. Dendera temple, Philae temple, catacombs of kom El shoqafa and Pompey's pillar are some of Egypt's top highlights that were built in Greco Roman period. These attractions are distributed to the main cities of Egypt. Check Aswan day tours or Nile river cruise to visit Philae temple, but if you want the biggest share of the culture overview of Greco Roman in Egypt, you have to go to Alexandria. Travel to Egypt Company realizes that a huge class of clients looking for historical ancient sightseeing, that’s why we have operated a wide range of day tours in the main capitals that include top archaeological sites. All the Greco Roman monuments of the Roman theatres, Alexandria library, the Greco Roman museum and Pompey's pillar are included in Alexandria day tours.

One of the remarkable structures that was built during the reign of (emperor Diocletian ) in Egypt is Pompey's pillar. The column is now standing in the heart of Alexandria on top of a temple ruin's which was built during the Ptolemaic kingdom in 297 AD. The pillar's base diameter is 2.71 Meter, and was carved out of red granite brought from Aswan city. The net weight of the pillar is 285 ton and reaches 26 meter high with the base. The prime sight was built to commemorate the victory of Emperor Diocletian over an Alexandrian revolt. Pompey's pillar name The pillar which was erected in honor of Diocletian has been given the name of Alexandria Pompey's pillar which makes no sense or show connection to any facts. There were stories told about the given name which assign the pillar to the Roman general Pompey who was murdered by Cleopatra's brother. Some said the crusaders from the middle ages thought that the general's ashes were inside a pot on top of the pillar, but that was proven a mistake.

The Roman amphitheatre of Alexandria

The Roman amphitheatre of Alexandria Amphitheatre is a word stands for ancient Greek term which means an open air area used for kinds of performances. The Greek amphitheatres were usually structured as circular or oval shape with many seated steps for the audience. It was actually more like open air stadium, and was spread all over countries like Italy, Turkey, Jordan and Greece when Romans were dominating all of these regions. The amphitheatre of Alexandria was discovered by coincidence in the year of 1960. When the Egyptian government was getting ready to set one its buildings in the area of kom El Dekka, one of the workers found solid column underneath the dust and sand during preparing the location by engineers. Immediately, an excavation team where down the location to examine what have been found. The Roman theatre was a very important discovery in the 20th century. It was proven that the theatre was built since the 4th A.D century and was used up until the 7th century passing by the Roman, byzantine and Islamic eras. Travel to Egypt Company is completely aware of these ancient sites value for being highly requested by our clients. We have involved many of the Greco Roman sites in Egypt tours, and if you want to track down more Roman sites, you'll find them all listed in Alexandria day tours. Roman theatre Alexandria design The Roman theatre we see today at Alexandria city is a typical form Roman theatres, consisting of audience section made of marble, granite columns, five compartments and based on thick limestone walls. The theatre used to host huge ceremonies and events with a capacity of 600 spectators. The audience section consisted of 13 rows made of white marble and the supported columns were made of granite exported from Aswan city south Egypt. The five compartments on the top of the audience section probably were used to host some royals or public figures during performances, and was covered by ceilings in the shape of domes supported by granite columns to protect the audience from the sun and rain. In the 6th century A.D, an earthquake hit Alexandria and destroyed most of these structures leaving only some ruins that still stands until today, reflecting the beautiful and magnificent architectural skills that Romans had. Roman sites in Egypt In 31 B.C, Egypt felt in the hands of Romans and turned most of the significant Egyptian places into thriving trade centers. More than 700 Roman ancient settlements, forts, gold mines and roads were marked in Egypt by archaeologists. Egypt was completely attractive to the Romans who were influenced by its traditions and culture. They buried themselves in tombs similar to the pharaohs' and covered their necropolises with Egyptian gods' scenes, and that's shows how much they were affected by the Egyptian religion. After the tragedy suicide of Queen Cleopatra the last pharaoh (from Greece bloodline) and mark Antony, Egypt was ruled by enough emperors to leave their finger print in the country beside the Greece monuments that were built by the Ptolemaic family before. Philae temple and Dendera temple are the finest example for the Greece site in Egypt along side with the Romans'.  You can customize your trip under the management of our operation team to include any of these sites within your itinerary.

The Graeco Roman museum

The Graeco Roman museum The impressive art museum contains a wide range of objects and antiques from the region. The Graeco Roman museum of Alexandria was built in 1892 with a very classic design. Then, in 1895, I was transferred to another location. It houses antiques and sculptures from the Greek and Rome period in 331 B.C _ the 7th century. Among the displayed antiques in the museum, the most wonderful masterpieces are Hellenistic sculptures. The museum started with 11 galleries, but later, I was renovated and enlarged into 25 gallery rooms. The museum houses great coins collection that we'll talk about it in details and Hellenistic statues beside some mummies and busts for Roman Emperors. The Tanagra figurines in the museum reflect a very important historian stage which is the shift between the Pagan religious and Christianity. This shows how people shifted from worshiping Serapes statues (popular god for Egyptians and Greeks) into actually believing in Christ. The museum collection The museum contains thousands of precious antiques and amazing collection. Among them, the huge collection of metal coins that covers along historian Era and different centuries (from 360 B.C to the Ottoman period in the 19th century). The coins collection is arranged according to chronological sequence that starts from the 3rd century B.C to the 7th century A.D, and this considered as amazing record of the changeable civilization process. The museum displays very artistic Hellenistic sculptures like the very popular and beautiful alabaster statues of a good Roman shepherd, and Aphrodite torso. One of the many galleries houses rare collection of sarcophagi's. Best of them is the one that shows a group of Greek gods (Adriane, Hercules and Hypnos). The museum not only emphasizes the Graeco Roman artistic statues for their religious gods, but also highlights rulers for statue ruins like the red granite head for Ptolemy VI that was founded in Giza. Also, one of the room galleries is devoted to pharaonic mummy's sarcophagi's. The Roman Era in Egypt Egyptians had unique lifestyle and rare taste in their architectural buildings, and the Romans followed the same policy by building pharaonic temples and cities but with a touch of Roman's art. 30 B.C was the official year of ending the Egyptian rule over Egypt and declaring the Roman domination, but Egypt managed to remain independent and Egyptians tried to stick to their traditions and religious customs. In many invasion cases, the occupied nation mostly get effected by the foreign invaders, but it seems like it went the opposite way in which the Roman were extremely influenced by the Egyptian's life style and civilization. They believed in their religious gods, created similar tombs and temples, depicted themselves as pharaohs on the walls of the temples and wore their clothes.