Travel Guide to Alexandria, Egypt

Second biggest city of the country, Alexandria is also known as the largest port and an internationally famous resort. Each year the city attracts thousands of tourists mainly by its widely-known historical monuments. No other town in Egypt can exceed Alexandria in the number of historical antiquities.

The oldest building here is the catacombs of Kom El-Shouqafa, which have been created in the 1st-2nd centuries. The catacombs feature one of the largest Roman burial areas; the catacombs have 3 tiers, two of which, unfortunately, are now flooded. One of the most beautiful religious buildings is Mosque of Abu-al-Abbas that was built in the 13th century by order of Sheikh Abu Al-Hasan. The mosque is created in best traditions of previous centuries, and its design and interior remain in great condition even in our days. Nearby the mosque there is another sight – Pompey’s Pillar. This grand monument is made of red granite and is 25 meters tall. The monument has been created in the name of the emperor Diocletian and is surrounded by labyrinths of underground galleries and ancient burials.

If you want to know more about prehistoric times, the best place to get new knowledge is Greek-Roman Museum that contains over 40 thousand of exhibits of different kinds. Here you will see a collection of statues, plates, sarcophaguses, papyruses, coins, jewelry and other works of art. Among one of the most valuable collections is the exhibition of figures made of wood and marble featuring ancient Egyptian gods. Visitors who are more interested in medieval and modern art, should attend the Museum of Fine Arts, which galleries often show exhibitions of modern foreign artists. Female tourists traditionally cannot fail to visit the Museum of Royal Jewelry, while wild nature fans should move their feet to the Hydro-biological Museum where they will find large collection of corals, fish, mollusk and other sea animals.