ALEXANDRIALandmark
Saad Zaghloul Pasha Monument
31.2009, 29.8994
In the heart of downtown Alexandria, a commanding statue of Saad Zaghloul — the nationalist leader who galvanised Egypt's 1919 independence movement — presides over a landscaped square near the Corniche. It is a favourite meeting point and a green pause in the city bustle.
The spot carries a deeper layer of history: this was once the site of the Caesareum, the great temple begun by Cleopatra, whose obelisks, the so-called Cleopatra's Needles, were later carted off and now stand on the banks of the Thames in London and in New York's Central Park. Little of the ancient temple remains, but the layered past lingers.
Central and easy to reach, it slots naturally into a walking tour of Alexandria's seafront and downtown.
Know before you go
The square is a simple open-air stop of a few minutes, so use it as a landmark to orient yourself between the Corniche and the city centre.