Alexandria is located at the northern coast of Egypt, close to where the Mediterranean Sea is. A pretty chilly city, completely off imagination of the typical weather in Egypt. We covered 3 main tourist attractions in Alexandria, mainly Pompey's Pillar, Qaitbay Citadel, and Montazah Palace.
And of course, Alexandria is where all the stories about Cleopatra originated as well!
Pompey's Pillar is a Roman Triumphal Column that rises out of a pile of debris (it was previously the site of a temple), as I'd call it honestly. Pompey is a person's name and he was thought to be a revolt to the then Roman Emperor, Dicoletian. So the emperor ordered his arrest and public decapitation. It was rumored that the pillar was where they hanged Pompey's head. However, subsequent sources proved it wrong but they still kept the name. Perhaps it's a way to lure the tourists to visit.
Qaitbay Citadel, the guarding fortress of Alexandria city. Egypt has a strategic location like Singapore as it connects the East and the West in the past when harbours were still the main gateway to trade. Thus, many Western countries covet over the city of Alexandria which is close to the Mediterranean Sea. As such, invasions or attacks by the enemies were common. According to the guide, there is a distinct difference between citadels and fortresses. Kings and Queens do not live in the fortresses but they do reside in the citadels.
The citadel is the exact site of the Lighthouse of Alexandria, one of the 7 ancient wonders of the world. However, repeated invasions and an earthquake led to the destruction of the lighthouse with only the bottom to survive, but only as a watchtower. :(
Montazah Palace was built by Turkish rulers of Egypt and it was meant to be a Summer Palace. Alexandria was chosen as the destination for the summer palace due to its relatively cooler climate compared to the South, I deduce it myself. :) Really awesome architecture and nice gardens, you can tell that it's a place meant for kings even from afar.!
Cleopatra - The last pharoah that ruled Egypt before the nation became a Roman province. :)) Interesting stories about Cleopatra but my memory is dying on me. Cleopatra is of Greek lineage i.e. descendent of Alexander the Great. Unlike her precedents who ruled under the Ptolemaic dynasty, she picked up Egyptian and represented herself as the reincarnation of an Egyptian Goddess. In addition, she was a socialist princess who won the hearts of the masses, and fought with her step-brother over the throne after the death of their father. As her step-brother held tight control over the military power, in order to solidify her grip over the throne, she consummated a liaison with Julius Caesar, a Roman King. After Caesar's death, she aligned with Mark Antony and subsequently Caesar's legal heir Augustus unseated her from the throne leading to the fall of Egypt into the Romans' hands. The couple, Antony & Cleopatra both committed suicide sequentially and it was rumored that Cleopatra died in the conventional way of an asp bite. :))
And from all that we know, she was GORGEOUS! :))
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