Alexandria National Museum

The museum opened in 2003 in the restored Al-Saad Bassili villa, a merchant's house of 1926 in Italian style that had later served as the American consulate, and its organisation is straightforward and effective: the basement holds Pharaonic material, the ground floor Graeco-Roman, and the upper floor Coptic, Islamic and modern, so a visitor walks up through the city's history in order. The collection is not enormous but it is well chosen and well lit, with underwater finds from the harbour, a reconstructed tomb chamber, coins, jewellery and everyday objects. Because it was designed as a coherent narrative rather than assembled over a century, it is the easiest museum in Alexandria for a first-time visitor to read.

History

The museum occupies an Italianate mansion of 1926, set in a large garden on Tariq al-Horreya, formerly Rue Fouad; built for a timber merchant, it was a meeting place of Alexandria's upper-class society and later housed the United States consulate. It was inaugurated as the Alexandria National Museum on 31 December 2003 (Wikipedia, Alexandria National Museum).

The main sights

• A chronological climb - Pharaonic below, modern at the top.
• Underwater harbour finds - objects raised from the sunken city.
• A reconstructed tomb chamber - built into the basement gallery.
• The 1926 villa - staircases and rooms of an Italianate merchant house.

When to go

April to November for Alexandria, though this is a good rainy-day option in winter. Mornings are quiet. Two hours covers all three floors comfortably. It is central and easy to reach on foot from the Corniche.

Practical notes

The collection is modest compared with Cairo and some visitors find it slight for the ticket price. Photography rules vary and are sometimes enforced strictly. The upper modern floor is the weakest section. There is limited seating.

Nearby

The Graeco-Roman Museum and Kom El Dikka are close; the Corniche is a short walk north.

Key facts