Pompey’s Pillar
A Column Above the Ruins
Rising from the heart of ancient Alexandria, a single column of red granite pierces the sky. Known as Pompey’s Pillar, it stands alone amid the ruins of the Serapeum, a towering survivor from a city where temples once dazzled with gold and marble. For centuries, travelers arriving by sea saw it as a landmark, a reminder that Alexandria’s greatness still reached upward.
Despite its name, the pillar has nothing to do with the Roman general Pompey. It was raised in 297 AD to honor Emperor Diocletian, who brought stability after years of turmoil. Carved from Aswan granite, its shaft stretches more than 20 meters high—one of the largest single columns ever erected outside Rome. Its endurance is both a triumph of craftsmanship and a symbol of Alexandria’s resilience.
Experience It
The column once belonged to the great temple of Serapis, god of knowledge and healing. Here, worshippers gathered in a sanctuary that rivaled the wonders of Greece and Egypt alike. Though the Serapeum was destroyed long ago, its memory lingers in this lone survivor, the pillar standing as a sentinel for what was lost.
Today, Pompey’s Pillar rises above scattered stones and broken sphinxes, a solitary monument against the sky. It is neither the tallest nor the grandest of Egypt’s monuments, yet in its solitude lies its power. Like a voice carried across centuries, it speaks of a city that has always endured, always risen again.
Experience the pillar that withstood time.