Welcome to Alexandria: The Gateway to History

Your adventure in Alexandria begins at your hotel in Cairo, where a tour guide welcomes you with tales of a city founded by Alexander the Great in 331 BC. In a private air-conditioned vehicle, you traverse streets that have witnessed the Ptolemies and Romans, heading toward your first encounter with the subterranean soul of this Mediterranean metropolis.

The sea breeze whispers: you are about to reveal the secrets of an eternal civilization.

Kom el Shoqafa Catacombs:

The Embrace of Two Worlds

The journey starts with Kom el Shoqafa Catacombs (2nd century AD), a funerary labyrinth carved 35 meters underground. Here, Egyptian art merges with Hellenistic influences: Anubis is depicted as a Roman legionary, and Doric columns guard sacred niches. The guide reveals how these tombs, discovered in 1900, reflect Alexandria’s cosmopolitan nature, where Osiris and Dionysus intertwined in rituals of life and death. Emerging from these depths, the echo of their reliefs propels you to the surface, where another relic awaits to narrate the city’s grandeur.

Pompey’s Pillar:

A Beacon of the Ptolemies

Atop Rhakotis Hill, Pompey’s Pillar (297 AD) rises 27 meters in red Aswan granite, a tribute to Emperor Diocletian—not Pompey, as was mistakenly believed. Surrounded by ruins of the Ptolemaic Serapeum, this obelisk evokes an Alexandria that was a cradle of knowledge. The guide explains its transportation via the Nile, a feat of Roman engineering, while sphinxes at its base whisper the glory of the Ptolemies. From this height, your gaze turns to the sea, where the next stop, caressed by waves, preserves the legacy of a lost wonder.

Qaitbay Citadel:

The Guardian of the Lighthouse

The journey culminates at the Qaitbay Citadel (1477 AD), built on the foundations of the Lighthouse of Alexandria, one of the Seven Wonders (280 BC). Its Mamluk walls, battered by the Mediterranean, protect a port that was once the heart of ancient trade. The guide points to the horizon where Ptolemy I’s lighthouse guided sailors, and Ottoman cannons narrate centuries of maritime battles. As the salty breeze brushes your face, you feel the pulse of Alexandria, a city that continues to sing its history to the rhythm of the waves.

Facing the sea, enjoy lunch at a local restaurant.

On the return to your hotel, the catacombs, pillar, and citadel have woven a symphony of cultures. This excursion is not just a tour but a connection to the soul of Alexandria, a spark that invites you to dream of its eternity.