Alexandria, Egypt
Roman triumphal column in Alexandria, Egypt
On the hill of Bab Sidra, between the Amoud cemetery and the Kom el-Shoqafa plateau, rises Pompey's Pillar: a Corinthian column of red Aswan granite about 27 metres high, the tallest ancient monument in Alexandria and the only one still standing where it was built. It was raised between AD 298 and 302 in honour of the Roman emperor Diocletian after his campaign in Egypt, and once carried a colossal statue of him in armour. European writers named it after Pompey because of a misreading of the Greek inscription on its base. The Arabic name, Amoud el-Sawari, probably comes from its height among the hundreds of columns that once surrounded it, which reminded Arab writers of ships' masts. The pillar stands at the eastern edge of the ruins of the Serapeum, one of the great temples of Ptolemaic Alexandria, which housed a daughter library of the famous Library. On site are two granite sphinxes, rock-cut underground galleries, a Nilometer and the temple's foundations.
Allow an hour for the pillar and the underground galleries, which are cool and worth the steps down. It is very close to the Catacombs of Kom el-Shoqafa, so do both in one morning. The streets around are a busy local market; a taxi is easiest.
Hours and prices change — check before you go. Source: en.wikipedia.org
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