Attraction Details
Overview
Pompey’s Pillar
Pompey’s Pillar is the largest ancient monolithic column outside Rome, standing approximately 27 meters tall on the Karmouz hill in western Alexandria — the same elevated site that once held the Serapeum, the great temple of the Greco-Egyptian god Serapis that was one of the most celebrated religious buildings of the ancient Mediterranean world. The column is a polished red Aswan granite shaft of extraordinary quality, topped by a Corinthian capital, and was erected in 297 CE by the Roman governor Publius to honor the Emperor Diocletian following his suppression of a revolt in Alexandria.
Despite its popular name, the pillar has nothing to do with the Roman general Pompey — it was misidentified by medieval Crusader travelers who associated the single prominent column with Pompey’s death in Egypt in 48 BCE. An Arabic inscription at the base correctly identifies it as a monument to Diocletian. The misnomer has persisted in European usage for over eight centuries.
The pillar stands on the remains of the ancient Serapeum — the temple complex destroyed by the Christian bishop Theophilus and his followers in 391 CE, an event that also included the burning of whatever portion of the famous Library of Alexandria’s collection may have been stored there. The surrounding archaeological site contains the ruins of the Serapeum’s subterranean vaults where the sacred Apis bulls were worshipped, two pink granite sphinxes originally from a pharaonic temple, and scattered architectural fragments from the destroyed complex. The elevated position of the site gives panoramic views across the western harbor and the Mediterranean coastline.
History & Significance
The Serapeum was built on the Karmouz hill by Ptolemy III Euergetes in the 3rd century BCE as the main temple of Serapis — the hybrid Greek-Egyptian deity invented by Ptolemy I to bridge the religious traditions of his Greek and Egyptian subjects. The Serapeum became one of the most celebrated temples in the ancient world, described by travelers as rivaling the Capitoline temples of Rome in grandeur. It also housed a daughter library associated with the main Library of Alexandria — a collection that was reportedly destroyed when the temple was razed in 391 CE.
The column was erected in 297 CE following Diocletian’s suppression of a revolt led by Lucius Domitius Domitianus. The governor Publius dedicated it to Diocletian as a gesture of loyalty and gratitude. The column shaft, cut from a single block of red Aswan granite and polished to a high sheen, was transported from the Aswan quarries — approximately 900 km south — to Alexandria by barge, a logistical achievement comparable to the transportation of obelisks.
The Serapeum was destroyed in 391 CE when the Christian bishop Theophilus led a mob that demolished the temple — an event documented by multiple ancient sources and associated with the broader campaign to eliminate pagan worship that followed Theodosius I’s prohibition of pagan religion. The destruction of the Serapeum is often cited as one of the most symbolic acts of the transition from the pagan to the Christian Roman world.
What to See
The Granite Column
A 27-meter polished red Aswan granite shaft rising from the Karmouz hill — the largest ancient monolithic column outside Rome, its sheer scale and surface quality immediately apparent at close range.
Serapeum Underground Vaults
The subterranean galleries beneath the site where the sacred Apis bulls were worshipped — partially accessible and providing a direct sense of the scale of the ancient religious complex above.
Pharaonic Sphinxes
Two pink granite sphinxes from an earlier pharaonic temple, reused in the Serapeum's landscaping — visible in the site garden alongside architectural fragments from the destroyed complex.
Elevated Panorama
The Karmouz hill gives views across western Alexandria toward the Mediterranean — the same panoramic position that made the Serapeum so visually dominant in the ancient city's topography.
Photo Gallery
Visitor Information
Daily 9:00 AM – 5:00 PM
⛔ Closed: NeverNo dress restrictions
Photography is free
Partially accessible
💡 Visitor Tips
Location & Map
🚕 How to Get There
Located in the Karmouz district of western Alexandria, approximately 500 meters from the Catacombs of Kom el-Shoqafa; accessible by taxi from central Alexandria (15 min) or from the Corniche (20 min).
