After lunch, we had a stop at Pompey's Pillar in Alexandria. This pillar was made from red Aswan granite, is 27m tall erected in 297 AD. This pillar was named Pompey's pillar even though it was dedicated to Roman emperor Diocletian. This was because the ancient travelers believed that Roman Emperor Pompey, who was murdered, was in fact buried at this site.
Later, we visited the Catacombs of Kom el Shoqafa, which looked like something out of a movie set/computer game. No cameras were allowed inside, so i took photos from the web instead. This necropolis consists of a series of Alexandrian tombs, statues and archaeological object. This picture here shows the main tomb area. Anubis, God of the Underworld, is shown as a Roman legionary with dragon's tail. On the other side below heads of Medusa, are carved two giant serpents wearing the double crown of Egypt.
A circular staircase, which was often used to transport deceased bodies down the middle of it, leads down into the tombs that were tunneled into the bedrock. One of the more gruesome features of the catacombs is the so called Hall of Caracalla. According to tradition, this is a mass burial chamber for the humans and animals massacred by order of the Emperor Caracalla.
The back alleys of Alexandria seem very poor and dirty, as compared to their main street which is well-maintained.
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