The second largest city in Egypt, Alexandria is known as the "Pearl of the Mediterranean". Founded by Alexander the Great in 331 BC, Alexandria became the capital of Greco-Roman Egypt with the Pharos Lighthouse, the legendary lighthouse that was one of the Seven Wonders of the World, as its beacon of culture and its importance. Alexandria is also famous for the setting for the stormy relationship between Cleopatra and Mark Antony. The ancient city faced its decline during the Napoleon era.

A spectacular location at the heart of the second largest city in Egypt, Alexandria “The Pearl of The Mediterranean”, mid-way through the Cornish Rd. towards Montazah (the north-eastern end of the city), and on the exit of Stanley’s bridge on the way to Mansheya (north-western end of the city).

Sightseeing

Alexandria National Museum The Alexandria National Museum was originally a palace fashioned in a modern Italian style. The museum building was formerly the site of the United States Consulate of Alexandria and was sold to the Supreme Council of Antiquities with the intention of developing the museum to add to the treasures of the historic city. The museum comprises more than 1800 archaeological pieces many from the Pharaonic, Greek, Roman, Coptic, Islamic periods.

Bibliotheca Alexandrina
Exclusively catering to the Bibliotheca Alexandrina, the San Giovanni Café offers a delightful array of delicious dishes, tasty snacks and beverages, which can be enjoyed in the presence of what was once one of the greatest ancient libraries ever built.
The San Giovanni also caters conferences and events, from small meetings to large banquets, which may be held in the Bibliotheca Alexandrina.

Catacombs of Kom El Shuqafa
The Catacombs of Kom El Shugafa are the largest Roman burial site discovered in Egypt to date, consisting of three tiers of tombs and chambers cut into the bedrock to a depth of about 35 meters. Constructed in the 2nd century AD as a single-family crypt, these tombs represent the last existing major construction for the sake of the old Egyptian religion. They were later expanded to hold more than 300 individual tombs. There is even a banquet hall where grieving relatives paid their last respects with a funereal feast. Though the motifs are pure ancient Egyptian, the architects and artists were schooled in the Greco-Roman style, resulting in an amazingly integrated art.

Roman Amphitheatre
The only Roman amphitheater in Egypt, it was discovered during the foundation digging for a new apartment building. The well-preserved theatre once stood with thirteen semi-circular tiers of white marble imported from Europe. It contains galleries, sections of mosaic-flooring, and marble seats for up to 800 spectators. At one point, it may have even been roofed over to serve as an Odeon for musical performances and some inscriptions suggest that it was sometimes also used for wrestling contests.

Abu El-Abbas Mosque
Named after Ahmed Abul-Abbas, a Muslim scholar originally from Murcia, Spain (which was then part of the Islamic Empire), the mosque is one of Alexandria's largest and most famous religious monuments. Algerian patrons built the mosque in 1775 over the tomb of the 13th century Andalusian holy man. The interior is made up of eight monolithic granite columns and a colonnade of elongated arches. It was rebuilt in 1943 with its minaret reaching 73 metres into the Alexandria sky.

Qait Bay Fortress
The Qaitbay Fortress in Alexandria is considered one of the most important defensive strongholds not only in Egypt but also on the Mediterranean coast. It formulated an important part of the fortification system of Alexandria in the 15th century AD.
This citadel was established by the Sultan Al Ashraf Abou Alnasr Seif Eldin Qaitbay Alzahiry, who was so fond of art and architecture that he adopted it as one of his government posts.
The citadel is situated at the entrance of the eastern harbor on the eastern point of the Pharos Island. It was erected on the exact site of the famous Lighthouse of Alexandria which was considered one of the seven wonders of the ancient world.

Saint Mark’s Coptic Orthodox Cathedral
The Coptic Orthodox Cathedral of Saint Mark, the historical seat of the Pope of Alexandria and head of the Coptic Orthodox Church, was founded in 60AD by Saint Mark the Evangelist. Considered to be the first Bishop of Alexandria, he is said to have converted many to Christianity and to performing many miracles. According to sources St. Mark was arrested during a festival of Serapis and martyred by being dragged through the streets in 68AD. In 828 his body was stolen by the Italians to be enshrined in the St. Marks Basilica in Venice, however, his head remained in the Alexandrian church and was used in rituals for newly appointed patriarchs. Over the centuries St. Mark’s cathedral endured countless damages and was pulled down for its final re-construction in the 1950s, under the Pope Yusab II.