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1. Alexandria and Egypt's Mediterranean Sea Coast: Unrivalled Beauty in Ancient Lands
The
Roman ruler of Egypt, during the reign of the Roman Emperor Diocletian,
erected this memorial column between 284-305 AD in honour of the Roman
Emperor and as a sign of gratitude. This was preceded by serious revolt
in the city after which Diocletian ordered a siege. After 8 months of
resistance, the city finally surrendered.
As a result of the
siege, there was famine in the city; the Emperor ordered that a portion
of the corn, which was sent to Rome annually, be given to the people of
Alexandria. He exempted them from paying taxes during these hard times.
For that they erected this memorial column in his honour.
Kom
El-Shuqafa, on the other hand, is one of Alexandria's most famous
monuments. Identified as "a tour-de-force of rock-cut architecture
which would be remarkable in any period," the Great Catacomb dates back
to the late first century AD. It is a blend of Pharaonic and Roman art.
Alexandria Museum of Fine Arts is a storehouse of exclusive
sculptures, paintings and architectural pieces. The museum holds the
Alexandria Biennial every two years to display works of art of the
Mediterranean countries. Egyptian and foreign artists also display
their exhibitions over here.
The Hydrobiological Institute and
Museum is nestled near the Qait Bey Fortress area and displays a unique
collection of fish and marine life. The Graeco-Roman Museum is known
for an extraordinary assortment of 40,000 Greek and Roman relics and
coins from the period 3rd century BC to the 7th century AD. The
masterpiece of the museum is the Tanafra Statues.
The famed
Lighthouse of Alexandria is as you would expect popular with visitors.
The Lighthouse was originally built in 280 BC to serve as the port's
landmark. With a height variously estimated at between 115 and 135
metres it was among the worlds tallest man made structures for many
centuries, and was identified as one of the 7 Wonders of the World by
classical writers.
The Lighthouse of Alexandria was apparently
a tourist attraction right from its very beginning. Food was sold to
visitors at the observation platform at the top of the first level. A
smaller balcony provided a view from the top of the eight-sided tower
for those who cared to make the additional climb. The view from there
must have been quite impressive as it was probably 300 feet above the
sea. There were few places in the ancient world where a person could
ascend a man-made tower to get such a perspective.
Alexandria is
lined with many charming sandy beaches extending from the east to the
west. The beaches include, Ma'amura, Montazah, Mandara, Assafra, Miami,
Sidi Bishr, San Stefano, Glymonopolou, Stanley, Rushdy, Sidi Gaber,
Sporting, Ibrahimia and Shatby -all of which lie along the Corniche,
which is a beachfront avenue. The most spectacular of all the beaches
is the Abu Kir Suburb - also famous for fishing and specialty seafood
restaurants. Abu Kir lies at the eastern boundaries of Alexandria and
is one of the calmest beaches in the region.
Alexandria can be
reached by air, train and bus. The majority of international arrivals
first land in Cairo, then use an internal flight or travel by rail, bus
or private transport to Alexandria. There are daily
flights from Cairo
and weekly flights from many Arab countries to Alexandria. EgyptAir,
for instance, flies daily to Alexandria throughout the year and to
Mersa Matrouh in the summer months. There are also regular buses that
ply between Cairo and Alexandria.
Egypt's Mediterranean coast
gets hotter and drier the further west you travel, but Alexandria can
be cold and windy in the winter with torrential downpours. The
Mediterranean Sea does not become warm enough for swimming till June.
Continuous sunshine is however certain from April until November.
There
is a wide variety of accommodation in Alexandria and the north coast as
well as other parts of Egypt ranging from 5-star luxury to budget
lodging. During the popular winter season, advance booking is advised.
You can view and book online numerous
Egypt Hotels & Resorts for
your visit to this ancient land. Egypt is a very good value destination
and you will find accommodation cheaper here than the equivalent in
most other destinations.
Help and More Information for Egypt Travel!
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planning for a holiday in Egypt. You may be interested in seeing some of the Egypt vacation packages that we offer.
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