Image Alexandria Sphinx eg9613719jhp by Jim Henderson

 
Egypt > North of Cairo > Alexandria Sphinx eg9613719jhp
This gallery has photographs of the main sites North of Cairo, usually visited privately as not part of most Egyptian tours, and includes Heliopolis, Tell Basta near Zagazig and Tanis near the north coast of Egypt
Alexandria Sphinx eg9613719jhp Egyptian Alexandria Serapeum Ptolemaic red granite sphinx plinth modern Rhakote hill modern Mediterranean coastal city no longer reminiscent of the ancient city from Pharaohic times and little of that ancient time remains. A few isolated sites can be visited and this is one is located on Rhakote Hill one of the earliest sites in the City with some Roman ruins and archaeology. On the hill is the dominant granite column called Pompey’s Pillar dating back to the reign of Emperor Diocletian around 297BC but associated with the later rival of Caesar when it was held, mistakenly, his head was placed on top of the column. Also of interest are some granite Sphinxes and underground burial vaults. It is also thought to have held some of the contents of the ancient Library after its sacking after the fall of the House of Ptolemy but nothing now remains of this smaller library probably sacked during the Fifth Century AD by Christian zealots. The City has a distinctly European rather than Egyptian feel to it; it is sometimes offered as a day trip on a Cairo package but is seldom part of the main Nile packages. I hired my own taxi and the driver was sufficiently knowledgeable to take me to the main ‘ancient’ sites I could manage in a few hours. Keywords: Egypt: Egyptian, northern, Delta, ancient, Alexandria, city, coast, Mediterranean, sea, Egyptology, Rhakote, hill, ancient, Rhakotis, Pharaonic, Serapis, Temple, Serapeum, Library, destroyed, Roman, Ptolemaic, Greek, Pompey, Pillar, Corinthian, carved, capital, top, Ptolemaic, red, granite, Sphinx, Sphinxes, granite, carving, carved, scarab, freize, open, air, exhibits, museum, garden, Coptic, cross, early, Christian, archaeology, ruins, Piscina, Roman, bath, house, excavations, gateway, sunshine, blue, sky, colours, colourful, landscape, September, 1996, 35mm, slide, film, Fuji, RDP2, 100asa, colour, scanned, scan, Nikon, FM2, Nikkor, 28mm f2.8
© Jim Henderson
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Photographer: Jim Henderson
Collection: North of Cairo
Filename:
Alexandria Sphinx eg9613719jhp
Upload Date: 2018-09-02 13:40:54
Photo Size: 9.6mb 5300x3561 pixels
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Caption:

Egyptian Alexandria Serapeum Ptolemaic red granite sphinx plinth modern Rhakote

hill modern Mediterranean coastal city no longer reminiscent of the ancient city from Pharaohic times and little of that ancient time remains. A few isolated sites can be visited and this is one is located on Rhakote Hill one of the earliest sites in the City with some Roman ruins and archaeology. On the hill is the dominant granite column called Pompey’s Pillar dating back to the reign of Emperor Diocletian around 297BC but associated with the later rival of Caesar when it was held, mistakenly, his head was placed on top of the column. Also of interest are some granite Sphinxes and underground burial vaults. It is also thought to have held some of the contents of the ancient Library after its sacking after the fall of the House of Ptolemy but nothing now remains of this smaller library probably sacked during the Fifth Century AD by Christian zealots. The City has a distinctly European rather than Egyptian feel to it; it is sometimes offered as a day trip on a Cairo package but is seldom part of the main Nile packages. I hired my own taxi and the driver was sufficiently knowledgeable to take me to the main ‘ancient’ sites I could manage in a few hours.
Keywords: Egypt: Egyptian, northern, Delta, ancient, Alexandria, city, coast, Mediterranean, sea, Egyptology, Rhakote, hill, ancient, Rhakotis, Pharaonic, Serapis, Temple, Serapeum, Library, destroyed, Roman, Ptolemaic, Greek, Pompey, Pillar, Corinthian, carved, capital, top, Ptolemaic, red, granite, Sphinx, Sphinxes, granite, carving, carved, scarab, freize, open, air, exhibits, museum, garden, Coptic, cross, early, Christian, archaeology, ruins, Piscina, Roman, bath, house, excavations, gateway, sunshine, blue, sky, colours, colourful, landscape, September, 1996, 35mm, slide, film, Fuji, RDP2, 100asa, colour, scanned, scan, Nikon, FM2, Nikkor, 28mm f2.8