What to do in Alexandria, Egypt
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| Alexandria |
Alexandria, Egypt
Alexandria is an Egyptian coastal city known for its mild climate and
stretching its beaches along the Mediterranean Sea in the north of the
country for a distance of up to 70 km from east to west.
Its coastal nature and its extended area made it the second Egyptian
capital. Alexandria is one of the most varied places of tourism in Egypt.
Some of its features are of a religious nature, and some of them are also
of a historical and cultural nature that is not without a European
touch.
Alexandria was in the ancient era the capital of Egypt and was called
the "Bride of the Mediterranean", and was built by Alexander the Great
and therefore it was called this name in his honour, Alexandria is
considered the second-largest city in Egypt after the city of
Cairo.
Alexandria contains many attractions and distinctive tourist places;
therefore, tourism in Alexandria is one of the most important
destinations that attract large numbers of tourists from outside and
inside Egypt, it is the pearl of Egypt that contains many ancient
Pharaonic museums in addition to some newly created monuments, and also
contains Religious attractions and various entertainment venues.
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| Alexandria Map |
Tourist attractions in Alexandria:
Qaitbay Citadel
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| Qaitbay Citadel - Alexandria |
One of the oldest Islamic monuments and the most important tourist
attractions in Alexandria, which receives large numbers of tourists
throughout the year. The castle was built by Sultan “Ashraf Saif
Al-Din Qaitbay” on the coast of the Mediterranean Sea (in the same
location as the old lighthouse which was destroyed during the
occurrence of an ancient strong earthquake), to be the stronghold for
people and army from many threats to Alexandria. Qaitbay Castle was
built fortified with high walls. There was some sabotage at the castle
when the British occupation entered Egypt, but the “Preservation of
Arab Antiquities” committee restored it in 1904.
Qaitbay Citadel link (Wikipedia)
Library of Alexandria
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| Library of Alexandria |
The Library of Alexandria is considered one of the most important places for tourism
in Alexandria and Egypt in general. As it is a beacon of different
cultures, arts, and civilizations around the world, the library
was opened in its new shape in 2002, and it was called the Great
Library, it is not a library that includes books only, but it
contains many buildings represented in:
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| Planetarium - Library of Alexandria |
- The main library contains large numbers of valuable books in various fields.
- Planetarium.
- A room designed to teach science simply for children.
- Multiple exhibitions such as Arabic calligraphy exhibition and sculpture exhibition.
- Specialized centres for academic research such as the Center for Democratic Studies.
- Custom libraries for each category, such as Child Library, Rare Book Library, and others.
- Museums such as the Sadat Museum and the Manuscripts Museum.
- Panorama of Civilization Building.
- Halls for temporary art exhibitions.
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| Library of Alexandria |
This masterpiece is located in the Al-Shatby area on Corniche
Road, specifically in front of Al-Silsila Beach. The dates of
visiting the Library of Alexandria throughout the week are from
ten in the morning until seven in the evening, except for Friday
from two in the afternoon until seven in the evening, and Saturday
from twelve in the afternoon until four in the evening.
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| Pompey's Pillar - Alexandria |
Pompey's Pillar is one of the most important tourist attractions in
Alexandria attracts visitors to witness its construction strength and
high altitude. The construction of the Pompey Pillar dates back to the
Roman era in the perpetuation of Emperor Diocletian who saved the
Alexandrian people from the revolution carried out by Commander
Achilles, they built this column thanks to the Emperor, who restored
stability and calm to the city.
The Pompey's Pillar link (Wikipedia)
Catacombs of Kom El Shoqafa
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| Catacombs of Kom El Shoqafa - Alexandria |
Ancient tombs are found in the Kom El Shoqafa area in Alexandria
and represent many ancient cultures, they are a mix of the Pharaonic
arts with Roman and Greek arts and they contain some artefacts and
many tombs and statues. The construction of these tombs has been
expanded throughout the ages due to the presence of large
differences between motifs and inscriptions of each region.
These tombs consist of three levels engraved inside the rock, and
the first level and then the second level was reached after reducing
the water table, but the third level has not been reached yet due to
the presence of artefacts submerged under groundwater.
Catacombs of Kom El Shoqafa link (Wikipedia)
The Roman Theater
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| The Roman Theater - Alexandria |
One of the most important landmarks of tourism in Alexandria, and dates back to the Roman era and is found in the Kom El Dekka area of Alexandria.
The theatre was discovered by chance when the tomb of "Alexander the Great" was being searched for. It is composed of a number (13) degrees made of marble material that takes the shape of the letter (U), and the grades were numbered in Greek from the bottom to the top to arrange the process of sitting in the theatre as it contained about (600) people, and was used to hear some types of music have been This is confirmed by the presence of the area of the orchestra, in addition to the presence of a large dome.
The sunken cities of Abu Qir
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The Sunken cities of Abu Qir - Alexandria
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| The Sunken cities of Abu Qir - Alexandria |
These cities are considered some of the most beautiful places in tourism in Egypt, where you can participate in a group diving trip organized by one of the approved diving centres in the city at Abu Qir Beach to see the underwater ruins of Heracleion and Canopus, which date back to the time of the Ptolemaic Kings and the Greco-Roman era the city witnessed. , With some traces dating back to the ancient Pharaonic era, such as the remains of the Temple of Isis, according to what it says according to the eternal legend of Isis and Osiris, and the Cleopatra Palace.
Heracleion link (Wikipedia)
Alexandria National Museum
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| The National Museum - Alexandria |
The Alexandria National Museum includes a large collection of artefacts, which may number up to 1,800 artefacts from all ancient and modern times. These artefacts have been brought from many museums scattered throughout all of Egypt, such as the Coptic Museum in Cairo, the Islamic Museum, the Greek and Roman Museum, and others. Museums are grouped monuments representing Egyptian civilization.
The Alexandria National Museum is unique in the presence of a group of sunken relics that have been recovered, such as the statue of "Isis" made of black granite and the head of the statue of "Alexander the Great". It includes large numbers of currencies of different eras such as the Islamic era and the Byzantine era, some of which were found under the waters of the Gulf of "Abu Qir", and contains some jewellery and gold holdings belonging to the family of "King Ali".
National Museum of Alexandria link (Wikipedia)
Royal Jewelry Museum
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| Royal Jewelry Museum - Alexandria |
This museum was nicknamed “The Palace of Jewelry” because its
palace belonged to Princess “Fatima Al-Zahra” from the family of
“Muhammad Ali.” In 1986, that palace was transformed into the
Royal Jewellery Museum.
It contains some of the relics of the family of King "Muhammad Ali", which number about (11500) pieces divided into 10 halls, and each hall contains a set of jewellery and watches made of diamonds, gold ornaments and a group of precious stones.
Royal Jewelry Museum website link (Wikipedia)
The Greco-Roman Museum contains several pieces dating from the Greco-Roman (Ptolemaic) era in the 3rd century BC, such as a sculpture of Apis in black granite, the sacred bull of the Egyptians, mummies, sarcophagus, tapestries, and other objects offering a view of Greco-Roman civilization in contact with ancient Egypt.
Greco-Roman Museum Alexandria link (Wikipedia)
The museum is considered an educational and recreational museum. It includes a group of ponds that contain some marine fish, reptiles that live in saltwater and other types of fish that live in freshwater.
The museum also includes some types of plants and shells that exist in the water, whether seawater or rivers and contains an integrated laboratory to do some studies on all marine life in it, there is a part of that museum that contains some fish and marine creatures that are embalmed like the skeleton of a shark and a model of a bride The the sea that was once found in legends.
National Museum of Marine Biology and Aquarium link (Wikipedia)
It contains some of the relics of the family of King "Muhammad Ali", which number about (11500) pieces divided into 10 halls, and each hall contains a set of jewellery and watches made of diamonds, gold ornaments and a group of precious stones.
Royal Jewelry Museum website link (Wikipedia)
Greco-Roman Museum, Alexandria
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| Greco-Roman Museum - Alexandria |
The Greco-Roman Museum contains several pieces dating from the Greco-Roman (Ptolemaic) era in the 3rd century BC, such as a sculpture of Apis in black granite, the sacred bull of the Egyptians, mummies, sarcophagus, tapestries, and other objects offering a view of Greco-Roman civilization in contact with ancient Egypt.
Greco-Roman Museum Alexandria link (Wikipedia)
National Museum of Marine Biology and Aquarium
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| National Museum of Marine Biology and Aquarium - Alexandria |
The museum is considered an educational and recreational museum. It includes a group of ponds that contain some marine fish, reptiles that live in saltwater and other types of fish that live in freshwater.
The museum also includes some types of plants and shells that exist in the water, whether seawater or rivers and contains an integrated laboratory to do some studies on all marine life in it, there is a part of that museum that contains some fish and marine creatures that are embalmed like the skeleton of a shark and a model of a bride The the sea that was once found in legends.
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| National Museum of Marine Biology and Aquarium - Alexandria |
National Museum of Marine Biology and Aquarium link (Wikipedia)
Religious tourism attractions
The landmarks of religious tourism in Alexandria represent the three monotheistic religions whose followers have lived for centuries on the city's lands, including the Al-Mursi Abu Al-Abbas Mosque, famous for its Anfoshi, the Jewish Temple of the Prophet Daniel (Synagogue), the Monastery of St. Mina, St. Mark's Cathedral, the oldest church in the African continent.
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| Al-Mursi Abu Al Abbas Mosque - Alexandria |
Al-Mursi Abu Al-Abbas Mosque link (Wikipedia)
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| Monastery of St. Mina - Alexandria |
Monastery of St. Mina link (Wikipedia)
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| Synagogue -Prophet Daniel Jewish Temple - Alexandria |
Synagogue - Prophet Daniel Jewish Temple link (Wikipedia)
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| St. Mark's Cathedral - Alexandria |
St. Mark's Cathedral link (Wikipedia)
Best parks in Alexandria
Montaza Palace Gardens
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| Montaza Palace Gardens - Alexandria |
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| Montaza Palace - Alexandria |
Montaza Palace Gardens are spread over an area of (370) acres and
are located around the Montaza Palace, which was built by Khedive
Abbas II. This palace was built in the Islamic and Florentine style,
and the secret lies in the beauty of that palace and the gardens
around it, it is on a plateau at a height of (15) feet.
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| Montaza Palace Gardens - Alexandria |
These gardens are full of many varieties of trees and are more than
a hundred years old. The gardens of the park are not limited to the
palace only, but the Harmelak Palace, which is dedicated to the
royal family, and the Peace Palace, were built in the middle of the
gardens.
Montaza Palace Gardens link (Wikipedia)
Shallalat Gardens
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| Shallalat Gardens - Alexandria |
A large garden is established on an area of 8 acres and contains a
set of terrain, three lakes, a group of trees and rare plants, and
some artificial waterfalls. This park was famous for the artistic
parties and recreational colours that were held in the old.
It turned into a large cultural centre that includes a library that
contains a collection of valuable scientific and technical books in
many fields. The garden was divided into 5 different regions and
each section was named after the names of the most famous artists
and intellectuals.
Shallalat Gardens link (Wikipedia)
Antoniadis Gardens
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| Antoniadis Gardens - Alexandria |
Antoniadis Gardens is one of the oldest parks in Alexandria and one of
the most important monuments that explain tourism in Alexandria with
the beauty of its roses, trees, and statues. These gardens were
designed in more than one style such as the Greek, Italian, and
Roman style, and they contain many types of trees, plants, and rare
flowers.
There are also some statues made of marble that belong to world
celebrities in ancient times, such as Christopher Columbus, as well
as some statues that embody the four seasons, including the
"Antoniadis" theatre, which established the evacuation treaty in
ancient times.
Antoniadis Gardens link (Wikipedia)
Alexandria by night
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San Stefano - Alexandria |
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| Alexandria by night |
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| Stanely Bridge - Alexandria |
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| Alexandria by night |
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| Alexandria by night |
Alexandria Climate
May-Oct is very dry and warm, with Jun–Aug being the peak travel time. Nov–Apr is mild, with the most rain occurring Dec–Jan.
Source: NOAA