Alexandria is a historic city by far, where it was founded 332 BC by Alexander the Great, the kind of Macedon, Greece. And since then, Alexandria remains one of the important cities around the world. It was hosting one of the seven wonders of the ancient world, Lighthouse of Alexandria. The biggest library in ancient world was hosted also in Alexandria, before it was burnt and renovated back on 2002.
Alexandria is the 2nd largest city in Egypt, the number 1 harbor and host a big portion of Egypt industrial activities, beside the natural gas and Oil labs.
The city already has a lot of sightseeing which we can’t cover in one day, so we have opted to choose 2 of them. Citadel of Qaitbay and the Royal Jewelry Museum.
We have started our walk afternoon, right after the Muslims’ Friday prayer, where our Local guides team gather in front of the Royal Jewelry Museum in Zizania neighborhood. After meet and greet, we went thru tickets purchase (special ticket needed for photography), and we have gone this awesome museum rooms which was a former palace of Princess Fatma Al Zahra. The museum hosts several precious jewels and jewelry of the Royal family which was ruling Egypt from 1805 till 1952.
Also, the palace including several painted walls and ceilings with a gorgeous oil painting depicting various historical scenes and natural scenery. The palace windows are decorated with lead-inlaid glass artwork also depicting European-style historical scenes. It has 4185 square meters of interior space and is surrounded by gardens.
Our walk in this great sightseeing lasted for almost an hour and half, and it was truly a great experience to see those awesome collection of this period, and it’s a most visit place during your visit to Alexandria!
After, we went thru the Corniche of Alexandria, to the other end of the city, where the Citadel of Qaitbay is located.
The Citadel of Qaitbay was established on the 15th century by Sultan Al Ashraf Sayf Al Din Qait Bay. to defend the city against the Turks troops, who were threatening Egypt at that time. By its special location on the eastern side of the northern tip of Pharos Island at the mouth of the Eastern Harbor, it was defined as the most defensive fortress not only in Egypt, but along the Mediterranean Sea Coast.
The interior of the citadel gives you a glimpse of how solider was doing during their shifts to defend this historical city, and you can find even a mosque was built inside (check the photos).
Many places around the fortress was arranged to hold the guns and big cannons, beside other tricks like special places to throw hot oil above any intruders to the main gate.
Qaitbay area took around 2 hours of non-stop exploring by our team, where they were delighted by the history scenery and enjoyed the cool breeze of the Mediterranean Sea.
After this long walk, team chooses one of the famous restaurants of Alexandria, which is selling only one item, liver sandwiches. You can easily order 10 pieces per each person and still hungry for more. We have discussed several tips and tricks for our Google Maps daily updates and contributions.
It was another day of our successful gathering and meeting, and we are looking for our next adventure!
Please check the full photos and video of the tour within this photo album link
