— Debanjana Chatterjee

Alexandria was the capital of Egypt during the Greco-Roman period. It had been the first port and commercial centre in Egypt since it was built, until the current time. This ancient city has always fascinated me after reading about the ‘Lighthouse of Alexandria’ as a child, which is one of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World, and as an adult in the novel ‘In an Antique Land’ by Amitav Ghosh. Countless treasures and stories sleep beneath the city established by the Macedonian King Alexander in 332 BC.

After a three hours drive from Cairo when we reached Alexandria, it looked like a city straight out of a history book! This coastal city on the Mediterranean Sea was situated on the opposite side of Greece and Turkey. The first stop in Alexandria was The Catacombs of Kom El Shoqafa. We had to descend three flights of stairs underneath ground level. The site was a unique blend of Roman, Greek and Egyptian cultures, which was visible from the architecture and artistic designs on the walls. The second stop was Pompei’s Pillar, which is the only remaining part of the ruins of an ancient temple dedicated to Alexandria’s patron god Serapis. We then visited the Citadel of Quaitbay, built in the 15th century, as a defensive fortress to protect the city from attacks by the Ottomans/Turks. This impressive structure was built on the actual site of the former Lighthouse of Alexandria, which was destroyed in an earthquake during the 13th century. After such an eventful day, we finished up having lunch at a famous local Greek restaurant established 100 years ago, with full view of the Mediterranean Sea. We had an appetite to have a horse, but settled for an Egyptian fish meal with Sayadieh rice and fried mullet! Our overnight accommodation was at a vintage hotel. The room had high ceilings, chandelier and an overall Victorian style of design and furniture! The next morning, we got up quite early and decided to go on a morning walk down the Corniche (waterfront promenade). We discovered that Alexandria has the only tram service in the whole of Egypt! We also spotted black and yellow coloured taxis on the streets, which reminded us of Kolkata! After returning to our accommodation, we had a delicious Egyptian breakfast with ful medames (fava bean stew), falafel, feteer meshaltet (sweet dish) and other delicacies on the rooftop of the hotel. I was pinching myself that we were literally sitting on the opposite side of Europe (a few hours journey by boat/ferry) !

The next point of interest was the town of El-Alamein, a few hour’s drive to the west of Alexandria. This was the backdrop to a famous battle between Allied and Axis armies during the Second World War (‘Battle of El-Alamein’). There was an Australian War Memorial commemorating Australian soldiers. The El-Alamein War Cemetery was within a short walking distance. A unique feature of this was the soldiers of both Allied (Britain, Australia, Canada, France, India, South Africa, Netherlands) and Axis (Germany & Italy) nations were kept together! Our final stop was the El-Alamein Military Museum. It had a lot of interesting artefacts and specific country-based displays of uniforms, armour and historical items. We noticed many replica tanks and aeroplanes that were kept outside the museum, as we walked around the complex.

Our Alexandria trip came to end at this point. No other city in Egypt is as much loved by its inhabitants as Alexandria, which is often described as the ‘Pearl of Mediterranean’. We witnessed a rich history and culture of a city that will forever be etched in our memory.

Australian War Memorial in El-Alamein

Indian Army artefact at El-Alamein Military Museum

Entry arch of El-Alamein Military Museum

Standing in front of the Citadel of Qaitbay

Wall art in The Catacombs of Kom El Shoqafa