Around Alexandria

We both slept very well at the Hilton Alexandria Corniche  and didn’t awaken until our alarm sounded at 6:30 am. It isn’t often that we sleep that late, but we both needed the sleep. After a shower, we went to the hotel’s breakfast area and enjoyed many traditional Mediterranean breakfast items as well as a pot of tea. We didn’t have to be on the bus until 8:30, which gave us a little time to prepare for the day.

Citadel of Qaitbay

 We drove through Alexandria toward the peninsula that had held the ancient Alexandria lighthouse. As we traveled we noted that, like Cairo, many buildings in the city appeared to be simultaneously being built and demolished. There were luxury buildings housing 21st century high tech companies then people on the street in front of the building with a donkey cart selling roasted corn over a wood fire.

Mark & Cindy at the Citadel of Qaitbay

The site, where the Alexandria lighthouse stood from 284 BC until 1323 AD, now holds the Citadel of Qaitbay. The citadel was built in 1477 and used many of the blocks of Aswan granite from the ruins of the lighthouse, which was destroyed by an earthquake in 1323. We were happy to get to the citadel when we did because many families and groups of students come to the citadel to spend the day. Since the weekends in Egypt are Friday and Saturday, many Egyptians go out to local points of interest on Friday and Saturday. The citadel gets very busy later in the day but was not bad when we were there. We walked to the top of the fort and looked over the Alexandria Bay at the city, seeing the Alexandria Bibliotheca in the morning fog. The weather was just perfect with the warm sun, temperatures in the mid-70s and a light breeze. 

Tomb at Kom es Souqafa

Because we had such a full itinerary, we didn’t stay long at the citadel before moving on to the catacombs of Kom es-Souqafa. They were the burial spots for wealthy Egyptians in the 2nd Century AD. This area consists of tombs carved into the bedrock more than 100 feet under the city of Alexandria.

Catacombs at Kom es Souqafa

There were hundreds of bodies in the tombs, some with ornately carved stone sarcophagus and relief carvings on the area around the tomb. The tombs were largely unknown until early in the 20th Century when a donkey fell into a hole. That event led to the discovery of the shaft leading to the catacombs. Once our eyes adjusted to the low light level, we enjoyed seeing the ancient burial spots beneath the city.

Roman auditorium in Alexandria

From the catacombs we went to the Roman auditorium in Alexandria. This space was hidden under Alexandria until the 1960s. Once excavation began, archaeologists found a well-preserved area for performances or public meetings that included space for a choir, a stage and audience seating for over 800 spectators. Just outside the auditorium were public baths and other structures built while the Romans occupied Alexandria. We enjoyed walking around the area and looking at the limestone, marble and granite blocks that made up the structures which were largely intact after these thousands of years. We especially like an area called the “bird room” where the  mosaics, dating back to the Roman occupation, are well preserved and retain their bright colors. One group of the mosaics showed  colorful birds that were common in the area at the time.

From the bird room of the ancient Roman Auditorium in Alexandria

After leaving the Roman theater, we drove to the Alexandria National Museum that houses artifacts from the pharaonic period as well as the Islamic periods. We saw well preserved statues of many Egyptian pharaohs and their contemporaries. There were stone and wooden carvings that represented the kings but also of the tasks of daily life. One floor of the small museum was of the Islamic period with artifacts from more recent Egyptian history while another floor had Egyptian textiles. Although the museum was small, it was well displayed, and we wished for more time to enjoy the artifacts and informational signage.

Queen Hatshepsut at the Alexandria National Museum

From the Alexandria National Museum, we drove back out on the peninsula to the Fish Market restaurant for lunch. We had a salad followed by light seafood soup then the main course of grilled sea bass and fried calamari. Dessert was a cup of mixed fruit with a scoop of fruit sorbet. Being on the shores of the Mediterranean, Alexandria is known for excellent seafood. The meal was well prepared and delicious. We had a good view of the Alexandria Bibliotheca since the morning fog had lifted. It was nearly 3 pm by the time we finished lunch, and we were ready to go back to the hotel and relax.

On the short ride back to the Alexandria Hilton, we gathered our strength and decided to go for a walk on the corniche along the Mediterranean in the opposite direction of last night’s walk. Two of the ladies from Southern California decided to come with us on the walk, and we were happy to have the company. We walked along the busy street for several miles past the large Four Seasons Hotel before stopping for a coffee and coming back in time for the evening speaker.

We went straight to the meeting room on level B1 of the hotel to hear a speaker from Alexandria Dive share his experiences finding ancient lost treasures in the Alexandria Bay. He said that most important finds have been in less than 20 meters of water and that artifacts from thousands of years ago, like Cleopatra’s boat, to more recent items, like World War II weapons, have been found in the shallow waters of the bay. We all enjoyed the talk very much.

After the speaker we went to the Hilton Alexandria Corniche’s Lebanese restaurant for dinner. We had a very good lentil soup with cumin and other spices. The main course was beef kofta with a light gravy, steamed vegetables and a pressed cake of brown rice. Dessert was a Lebanese semolina cake with honey and orange called namoura. It was all very good, and no one left hungry. By the time dinner was over, we were ready to wind down before going to bed.