|
|
Most of the Greco roman monuments are in Alexandria City, Alexandria, known as "The Pearl of the Mediterranean", has an atmosphere that is more Mediterranean than Middle Eastern ; its ambience and cultural heritage distance it from the rest of the country although it is actually only 225 km. from Cairo.
Founded by Alexander the Great in 331 BC, Alexandria became the capital of Greco-Roman Egypt, its status as a beacon of culture symbolized by Pharos, the legend light house that was one of the Seven Wonders of the World. The setting for the stormy relationship between Cleopatra and Mark Antony, Alexandria was also the center of learning in the ancient world. But ancient Alexandria declined, and when Napoleon landed, he found a sparsely populated fishing village.
From the 19th century Alexandria took a new role, as a focus for Egypt's commercial and maritime expansion. This Alexandria has been immortalized by writers such as E-M- Forster and Cavafy. Generations of immigrants from Greece, Italy and the Levant settled here and made the city synonymous with commerce, cosmopolitanism and bohemian culture.
|
The Anfushi Tombs
These limestone tombs, which date from about 250 BC, are painted to simulate alabaster and marble. They are decorated with pictures of Egyptian gods and daily life, along with graffiti, which also dates from the same period.
The tomb lies to the south of the esplanade leading to the palace of "Ras el-Tin" and consists of five tombs, all dating from the first half of the 3rd century. They were discovered in 1901 and 1921. The first and most remarkable of the tombs is reached by way of a vaulted stairway hewn out of the rock, leading down into a square courtyard which is open to the sky and provides access to two tombs. The funeral motifs are an example of the combined influence of Greek art and the traditional forms of Egyptian arts.
|
|
|
The Amphitheater
The amphitheater consists of thirteen gray and white marble levels of terraces that lead down to the arena. Its buttressed wall was designed in a semicircular style to act as a passageway that ran beneath the early theater. Not far away from the theater are some ruins of the Roman baths.
|
|
|
Pompey's Pillar
An approximately 25m red Aswan granite column with a circumference of 9m, was constructed in honor of the Emperor Diocletian. Originally from the temple of the Serapis, it was once a magnificent structure rivaling the Soma and the Caesareum. Nearby are subterranean galleries where sacred Apis bulls were buried, and three sphinxes. After his defeat by Julius Caesar in the civil war, Pompey fled to Egypt where he was murdered in 48 BC; mediaeval travelers later believed he must be buried here, and that the capital atop the corner served as a container for his head. In fact, the pillar was raised in honor of Diocletian at the very end of the 4th century. Diocletian captured Alexandria after it had been under siege. The Arabs called it "Amoud el-Sawari", Column of the Horsemen. The Pillar is the tallest ancient monument in Alexandria.
|
 |
|
The Roman Theatre
The Roman Theatre in Kom El Dikka (pronounced Dakka) it is more there than simply a theatre.
The first two objects are two huge stone capitals that have wonderful detailed decorations. There was also a marvelous statue of a woman from the Roman times. This was an amazing statue, seeming to have weathered time with very little loss in detail. There was also beside this one some statues of Sphinxes but most of them were less well preservedThere were also some monumental statues, including a huge granite one of a woman, with considerable detail remaining. Another fragmentary statue was that of the face of a man made of granite that dates to the Pharaonic era.
|
 |
|
The Catacombs of Kom el-Shuqafa,
The catacomb of Kom El-Shuqafa (Shoqafa, Shaqafa) is one of Alexandria's most memorable monuments. Identified as "a tour-de-force of rock-cut architecture which would be remarkable in any period," the Great Catacomb defies comprehensible description. Its vast, intricately decorated interior spaces cut at so great a depth into the rock present an enormity of experience outside the normal human realm and tell us of a level of technological expertise equaling enterprises of modern subways and tunnels while far surpassing them in aesthetic response.
Kom El-Shuqafa is the Arab translation of the ancient Greek name, Lofus Kiramaikos, meaning "Mound of Shards" or "Potsherds." Its actual ancient Egyptian name was Ra-Qedil.
|
 |
|
|
|
