Day 6 Sunday, 30 October Alexandria

Our first stop today was Pompey's Pillar which is the largest memorial column in Egypt. It is constructed from a single piece of red Aswan granite. The total height is about 28 metres with a diameter at the base of 2.7 metres and towards the capital at the top it tapers to 2.3 metres. It was erroneously dated to the time of Pompey, but the Corinthian column was actually built in 297 AD commemorating the victory of the Roman emperor Diocletian over an Alexandrian revolt. It is guarded by a sphinx. In the middle ages crusaders believed that remains of the the Roman general,Pompey, were in a pot at the top of the column,hence Pompey's Column. There are several monuments situated around the column and the remains of a temple to the god Serapis. During our time in Alexandria we became aware of the 'tourist police' who are charged with protecting tourists from terrorist attack and from being harrassed by hawkers . This force seems to employ a significant number of young men in Egypt. As we were unable to visit the beautiful Bibliotheca because of a strike by workers for better pay and conditions, we headed to the Citadel of Quitbay, a 15th century defensive fortress located of the Mediterranean sea coast upon/from the ruins of the Lighthouse of Alexandria on the eastern side of the northern tip of Pharos island at the mouth of the eastern harbour. It was established in 1477 AD by Sultan Al-Ashraf Sayf al-Din Qa'it Bay and was a delightful place to visit on a sparkling sunny day. After revolution in 1952 and the removal of King Farouk, the Egyptian Navel troops turned the fort into a Maritime Museum. We had lunch at a local seafood restaurant which had wonderful views overlooking the Mediterranean. After returning to our hotel we explored the beach and the shopping mall attached to the hotel once again going through metal detectors as we left and entered the hotel.