Marina El Alamein

Bulldozers clearing ground for a holiday resort in 1985 cut into an ancient town, and excavation since has uncovered a substantial Graeco-Roman settlement of the second century BC to the sixth century AD: a harbour town with paved streets, colonnaded houses around courtyards, a bath complex, a small theatre or odeon, and a large necropolis of tower tombs and hypogea with painted chambers. The architecture is Alexandrian in style, and some of the tomb superstructures have been re-erected so that the necropolis reads clearly. It is an unusual case of a site preserved inside a modern resort strip, fenced off with tower blocks and holiday villages on every side, and it receives almost no visitors despite being immediately beside a busy summer coast.

What's there

• Tower tombs re-erected - the necropolis skyline restored to height.
• Colonnaded courtyard houses - Alexandrian domestic plans in stone.
• A small odeon - the town's theatre seating.
• Painted underground chambers - decorated hypogea in the cemetery.

When to go

The north coast is a summer destination, so April to October for the surroundings, though the site is more comfortable in spring and autumn. Two hours. It is empty on almost any day.

Things to know

Access can be difficult because the site sits inside a gated resort area and guards sometimes turn visitors away. Opening hours are unreliable. Some tombs are locked and need a keyholder. There is no shade and the coast road is fast and dangerous to cross.

Nearby

El Alamein town is west; Sidi Abdel Rahman and its beaches are further along the coast.