Alexandria Museum - Egyptology

The National Museum of Alexandria

The museum is located in the Horeya Street and. The building of the museum was the residence of a former wood trading business man, Asa'ad Basily, who constructed his villa which was built over an area of 3480 meters in the Italian style. The palace was a popular gathering place for many of the high level people in the 30s and 40s of the last century.

Basily lived in this house until 1953 and then he sold it to the American embassy for 53 thousand pounds. Until the supreme council of antiquities bought it for 13 million pounds in 1996 and then it was transmitted into a museum by the beginning of the third millennium.

The museum was first open to public in September 2002 and the museum displays more than 1800 items from different eras: Pharonic, Ptolemaic which flourished greatly in Alexandria, Roman, Byzantine, and Islamic.

The first floor of the museum contains the Pharonic items including a lot of statues of different ancient Egyptian rulers and gods and very interesting portraits of Menkaure, Ikhnaton, and Hatshepsut.

There are also some replicates of the tombs that were discovered in the Valley of the Kings. These tombs include Canoptic jars and many other interesting items.

The middle floor of the museum contains the antiquities of the Greco Roman period which includes statues of Greek ladies and an amazing statue of the god Serapis, granite statue of Caracala. There are also some scientific studies that were made in the Greco Roman period concerning the human body.

The last floor of the museum displays the items that belong to the Coptic and Islamic civilizations which reflects how prosperous were these two periods. The collection includes 162 Islamic coins, candle holders, and many other stuff.

The Coptic section includes a lot of everyday life items made out of bronze, copper, and silver. There is also some interesting icons that demonstrates religious scenes of the Christ and the last super. This is beside a lot of cotton and textiles products that have fascinating with plan and animals ornaments.

Among the most important items of the National Museum of Alexandria, there is the famous statue of the ancient Egyptian writer, some pots that were found around the pyramid of Djoser in Saqqara.

There are also some displays from the intermediate Pharonic period that reflects how the arts of this period became more realistic.

Afterwards, there is the section of the family of Mohamed Ali that includes a lot of jewelries made out of silver and gold that belonged to the royal family.

The most interesting section in the Alexandria National Museum is the section that displays antiquities that were found under the sea in Alexandria. The museum also displays live pictures of how these items were pulled out of the sea. This section includes a black bronze statue of Isis, some portraits and statues of Greek gods which includes an interesting statue of the head of Alexander the Great and another for Venus, the goddess of love.

The museum gives a total comprehensive illustration of not only the Alexandrian history but the history of Egypt. A visit to the National Museum of Alexandria is a must for anyone who is interested in the Egyptian antiquities and history

- The museum is open from 9 in the morning till 5 in the afternoon

Note that cameras are not allowed inside!