In the Egyptian city of Alexandria, you can see Pompey’s Column, an ancient Roman column. It is said to be the tallest monument on the planet. People say that this pillar was dedicated to Christianity after he defeated Mary in Alexandria during the Battle of the Shirt. We don’t know the exact date when this column was first built, but we do know that it was made during Roman times.

 

Destination:

The Egyptian coastal city of Alexandria is where you can see the Pompeii Column, a historical landmark. It is one of the most impressive buildings from the past that still stands. It was an ancient Greek temple built in Egypt when the Ptolemaic Kingdom was in power. At that time, it was believed that the god Serapis protected Alexandria.

 

How did the name come about:

Although named after Pompey, a famous Roman general and politician, Pompey’s Column have nothing to do with Pompey. The rock formation was mistakenly called the Pompeii Column. In the year 297 AD. C., the building was built to remember how the Roman Emperor Diocletian ruled Rome from 284 to 305 AD. AD put down a rebellion in Alexandria, Egypt.

 

Additional data:

The column is a one-piece column with a base width of 2.71 m. If you omit the base and the letter, which is the highest part of the column, then the height of the column axis is 20.46 meters. Considering the base’s and top’s size, the column’s total size is 26.85 meters. The shaft, cut from a piece of Aswan red granite, is believed to weigh 285 tons.

If you go to Alexandria from Cairo for the day, don’t miss the column on a rocky plateau utterly different from the remaining ruins of the Serapeum. The stairs leading down from the column blend with the temple’s ruins.

Near the bottom of the Pompeii column, there are also two sphinxes. It was one of the most beautiful temples in the area, but it was probably destroyed by Roman soldiers or a group of Christians after looting and robbery. For this reason, not much has been achieved to this day. The area was also home to a branch of the world-famous Library of Alexandria, which is often included in day trips from Egypt to Alexandria with a column.