This pillar was built by Pompey and stands in Alexandria, Egypt.
It stands tall above the city of Alexandria as a reminder of the Roman Empire’s once-impressive magnificence.
There is a national monument dedicated to Pompey’s Pillar.
Location:
Alexandria, Egypt’s second-largest city and the old Roman port city, is just three hours distant by car or train from Cairo.
Alexandria’s Corniche (seafront) is only a few blocks away from Pompey’s Pillar, and it is easily accessible by foot.
History:
There’s no better place to admire Pompey’s Pillar tower than atop a limestone ridge that’s about 25 metres above sea level.
Diocletian’s emperor Diocletian had promised to murder the city’s people “until their blood touched his horse’s legs,” but was forced to back down when his ride slipped and stained itself early.
In 297 AD, this Corinthian column was built to celebrate Diocletian’s victory over a rebellion in Alexandria.
Many believe it originated at Cleopatra’s “Daughter Library,” which contained 42,800 volumes and had outlived the mother library by over a century before being destroyed by Christian mobs in 391.
For everything that was there, there are just three passageways under the surface, where the sacred Apis bulls were interred, a Nilometer, and some underground cisterns.
