Made an Unexpected Side Trip to Alexandria…..

…..when one of my students from this city invited me to visit for a day. His company sent a driver and picked me up at the hotel for a 3 ½ hour drive through the Sahara Desert north to the coast of the Mediterranean Sea and this beautiful city founded by Alexander the Great around 332 B.C. The city is steeped with history: Roman occupation, naval battles, wars, and Cleopatra committed suicide here after watching here Egyptian fleet defeated and destroyed by the Romans.

The long drive was well worth it—Alexandria does have tourism but not on the scale of Cairo or Luxor so the sights were not as crowded. We visited the famous Fort Qaitbey, built in the 1400s on the sight of the old Pharos Lighthouse—one of the original, ancient Seven Wonders of the World. The fort contains the oldest mosque in Alexandria as well as a naval museum. Over the years it has been attacked by the Romans and Greeks as well as Napoleon’s navy. The British bombarded it in 1882—so the fort has seen its share of action.

Obviously with Cleopatra here, there is considerable Roman history including a red granite pillar erected around 300 AD in tribute to the Roman Emperor. Known as Pompey’s Pillar, it is part of a complex of catacombs and a beautifully excavated Roman structure known as the Amphitheatre of Kom al-Dikka.

Probably the highlight of the trip was a visit to the fantastic Montazah Palace built by King Farouk. The palace was closed to the public but has beautifully landscaped grounds that can be explored and one of the most beautiful beaches I’ve ever seen—and of course the Mediterranean Sea was a beautiful deep blue.

The 3 ½ hour drive back at night was a long haul but the day was an unexpected trip that turned out to be a great experience.