Sight of Pompey's pillar which stands at the top of a hill in the oldest part of the city of Alexandria is now an impressive open air museum and one of the finest archaeological examples of the Greco-Roman Period in Egyptian history.
Sight of Pompey's pillar which stands at the top of a hill in the oldest part of the city of Alexandria is now an impressive open air museum and one of the finest archaeological examples of the Greco-Roman Period in Egyptian history.
Pompey's pillar or a ship mast which was constructed in honor of Diocletian in 292 AD is situated in Alexandria in the area known as Kom el-Dekka and is dominating the area. On the base of the pillar we find an inscription “Postumas a governor of Alexandria erected this pillar in honor of a just emperor Diocletian”.
Crusaders gave the name to this pillar “Pompey's” because they wrongly thought that the head of Pompey was buried on the top of it. But Pompay himself was killed at the year 48 BC and the column was erected later at the year 292 AD. Originally this column was taken from a magnificent temple of Serapis. It's made of rose granite, has a Corinthian style capital and it was with its base 26,85 meters high , it's diameter at the bottom is 2,7 m and at the top - 2,3 m.