Alexandria Attractions

The Alexandria national museum is located at 110 El-Horreyya Road, Alexandria. More than 1800 archaeological pieces are exhibited chronologically from one floor to the next: the basement is devoted to Prehistoric and Pharonic times; first floor to the Greco-Roman period; second floor to the Coptic and Islamic era that highlights artifacts raised during recent underwater excavations.

Claustrophobically set in the Hay Charg district of the city, its turnstiles boasts mahogany and oak wood panel doors with the stands resembling any archetype Greek Olympic Stadium, calling for Chariots of Fire, Ben Hur and classic football drama. Its seating capacity is 19,676, the majority taking up at each home game of Itthad. Walking around Estad Eskanderia one feels one is about to enter an old Greek theatre with the quaintest of stands reminiscing romantic remnants from British horse racing tracks. One actually does.

A 25 kilometer drive by traditional tram from the Alexandria city centre brings us to the 22,000 capacity purpose-built and unimaginative brand new Max Stadium in the buzzing district of the same name. It is home to The Border Guards Military team, locally known as Haras El Haddood, playing at top level in Egypt.

The Alexandria Stadium for once reflected the proverbial local hospitality, symbolized by the magnificent grandeur of the stadium manager’s office shown in the slideshow below.

Peculiarly enough the ground has an athletics track with almost 90 degree corners in order to create a rectangular shape with British flavour. However, although its shape being unique to Egyptian standards, the ground lacks any atmosphere and with roofs void on three parts it isn’t a particularly distinctive ground. Take away the roofs of any Lego ground and you end up in the Max district of Alexandria.

Alexandria University (Arabic: جامعة الإسكندرية ) is a university in Alexandria, Egypt. It was established in 1938 as a satellite of Fouad I University, becoming an independent entity in 1942. It was known as Farouk University until it became the University of Alexandria in 1952. Taha Hussein was the founding rector of Alexandria University. It is now the second largest university in Egypt and has many affiliations to various universities for ongoing research.

The Bibliotheca Alexandrina (Latin for "Library of Alexandria") is a major library and cultural center located on the shore of the Mediterranean Sea in the Egyptian city of Alexandria. It is both a commemoration of the Library of Alexandria that was lost in antiquity and an attempt to rekindle something of the brilliance that this earlier center of study and erudition represented.

The Citadel of Qaitbay (or the Fort of Qaitbay) (Arabic:قلعة قايتباي) is a 15th century defensive fortress located on the Mediterranean sea coast, built upon/from the ruins of the Lighthouse of Alexandria, in Alexandria, Egypt. It was established in 1477 AD by Sultan Al-Ashraf Sayf al-Din Qa'it Bay.

Founded in 1892, the Graeco—Roman Museum of Alexandria has already celebrated its centenary. Its vast collection, gathered together over these hundred years, is the product of donations from wealthy Alexandrians as well as of excavations led by successive directors of the institution, both within the town and in its environs.

Itthad (a.k.a El-Itthad El-Sakandary) is one of the oldest sporting clubs in Egypt. The club's soccer team was founded in 1914 in Alexandria and currently participates in the Egyptian Premier League. It has the 4th largest number of fans in Egypt, after Al Ahly, Al Zamalek and El Ismaily. The club Ittihad of Alexandria is the one of the promoters for founding the Egyptian Football Association in 1921.

Montazah is a royal palace built between 1892 and 1926 as a summer retreat by Khedive Abbas II; an ancestor of King Farouk, the last king of Egypt. It was here that the last king of Egypt spent his childhood years. The palace has a picturesque location on a rocky hill, overlooking the Mediterranean and surrounded by a large park that consists of a designed manipulation of bridges, palm trees, pines, and lovely flowers. The park used to have deers and birds and other rare animals at the times of the King but not anymore. Strolling in the park among the beautiful scenery and listening to the sound of the crashing Mediterranean waves is very relaxing and peaceful. Architecturally, the palace is a mix of Turkish and Florentine styles. The central tower of the palace is a replica of the Palazzo Vecchio in Florence.

It is now a presidential residence, and the palace itself is closed to the public but the beautiful gardens are not. A second royal residence known as the Salamlek, built in an Austrian style as a hunting lodge has recently been refurbished and opened as a luxury hotel. The palace is surrounded by exclusive hotels, lovely beaches and luxurious tourist facilities.