By Mohamed El-Hebeishy THE PEARL of the Mediterranean, Alexandria is not only renowned for its Bibliotheca, the Great Lighthouse and its sunken treasures but also hidden archaeologies obscured amidst bustling streets of Egypt's second largest city. The tallest monument still standing in Alexandria is Amoud Al-Sawari (Column of the Horsemen). This is what the Arabs called the granite monolith of Aswan with a shaft 30 metres high, better known as Pompey's Pillar. Pompey was one of Julius Caesar's bitter foes. Having lost the civil war to the renowned Caesar, he fled to Alexandria. In 48 BC and once Pompey reached Alexandria, he was decapitated, with his head being sent to Rome as a token to gain the emperor's favour. It was believed that Pompey was buried where the pillar stands today. However, this is not true and the name Pompey's Pillar is a misnomer as the pillar was erected in 293 AD in honour of Roman Emperor Diocletain. Pompey's Pillar is the obvious remains of what was once a religious complex dedicated to the cult of Sarapis. Ptolemy I, founder of the Greek dynasty of rulers, formulated an Egyptian-Hellenistic God. His objective was to melt the ancient Greek and Egyptian religions into one and thus unit the two civilisations; he named his newly invented God Sarapis. Ptolemy's plan worked and soon Sarapis' cult not only spread across Egypt but the entire Mediterranean area. Soon, each Greek city was building its own Sarapeion. Alexandria was no different and it also built its Sarapis-dedicated temple in the area of Pompey's Pillar. Unfortunately, the whole complex was laid to ground in 391 AD when Bishop Theophilus decreed the eradication of paganism. Only the pillar and a couple of sphinx-like statues remain. photo: Mohamed El-Hebeishy
