# Pompey's Pillar, Alexandria > Pompey's Pillar is a 27-metre red granite column raised around AD 300 for Emperor Diocletian — Pompey had nothing to do with it. Around it lie the ruins of the Serapeum, two sphinxes and rock-cut tunnels. Foreigners pay 200 EGP, students 100 EGP. Open daily from 9:00, last entry 16:00. Allow 45 minutes. Web page: https://yesgo.io/egypt/alexandria/pompeys-pillar - City: [Alexandria](https://yesgo.io/egypt/alexandria), Egypt - YesGo score: 37/100 (Yes, if nearby) - Time on site: 45 min - Entry: 200 EGP, students 100 EGP - With kids: Fine with kids - Foreign visitors: 200 EGP - Students: 100 EGP, aged 24 or under with a valid student ID - Children: Free under 6 - Hours: Daily from 9:00, last entry 16:00 (15:00 in Ramadan) - Where to buy: Ticket office at the gate or the Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities' official system (Egymonuments) - Payment: Visa and Mastercard accepted - Photos: Free with a phone - Getting there: Uber, Careem or taxi from Saad Zaghloul Square, about 10–15 min - Address: Karmoz Street, Karmouz, Alexandria - Coordinates: 31.18250, 29.89640 - Facts checked: 03.11.2026 ## Key facts - **≈ 27 m** — total height with base and capital — 26.85 m (source: English and Russian Wikipedia; Egypt Fun Tours) - **Diocletian** — the emperor it honours, dedicated by the prefect of Egypt, Publius (source: English and Russian Wikipedia; Travel Talk Tours) - **AD 298–302** — when it went up (some sources say up to 303) (source: English and Russian Wikipedia; Travel Talk Tours) - **One block** — the shaft is a single monolith about 20.5 m tall (source: English and Russian Wikipedia) - **≈ 285 t** — estimated weight of the shaft (source: English and Russian Wikipedia) - **2.71 m** — shaft diameter at the base (source: English and Russian Wikipedia) - **Aswan** — where the pink granite was quarried — ancient Syene (source: English and Russian Wikipedia) - **≈ 7 m** — height of the lost porphyry statue of the emperor that stood on top (source: English and Russian Wikipedia) - **Ptolemy III** — built the Temple of Serapis on this hill in the 3rd century BC (source: English Wikipedia, Serapeum of Alexandria; Egypt Fun Tours) - **Amoud El Sawari** — the Arabic name taxi drivers know (source: English and Russian Wikipedia; ExcursionMania) > **Last entry is 16:00 (15:00 in Ramadan)** The Ministry asks visitors to arrive at least an hour before closing. There is almost no shade on the hill, so in summer go at 9:00 with water and a hat. The site opens every day of the week. ## How much are Pompey's Pillar tickets? Foreign visitors pay **200 EGP**; students aged 24 or under with a valid ID pay 100 EGP, and children under 6 go free. These are the Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities' official prices. One ticket covers the whole Serapeum site: the pillar, the sphinxes, the temple ruins and the underground galleries. Buy at the gate or in advance through the Ministry's official ticketing system, Egymonuments, or its Experience Egypt app. Online tickets are dated and non-refundable. Queues are rare here, so booking ahead is optional. Phone photography is free. Officially, Visa and Mastercard are accepted at the ticket office as well as online. Carry some small Egyptian pound notes anyway — street taxis, tips and toilets are cash only. ## Why is it called Pompey's Pillar? It is a misnomer. The column was raised around AD 298–302 for the Roman emperor **Diocletian**, dedicated by a prefect of Egypt named Publius. Pompey the Great died in Egypt some 350 years earlier and has no link to it. Four lines of the Greek dedication survive on the base. The prefect's name, Pouplios, was at some point misread as Pompeios — Pompey's name in Greek. A second story, popular in the Middle Ages, held that Pompey's remains were buried here. Either way, the name stuck in European travel writing. Locals call it **Amoud El Sawari**. If a driver looks blank at "Pompey's Pillar", use the Arabic name. ## Is Pompey's Pillar worth visiting? Yes, if you care about ancient Alexandria — it is the only ancient monument in the city still standing where it was built. The pillar, sphinxes and tunnels take about **45 minutes**; with the ride from the Corniche, budget an hour and a half. Be realistic: this is not Luxor or Giza. Beyond the column and the two sphinxes, the hill is mostly foundations and scattered stone, and the Karmouz neighbourhood around it is busy and run-down. If you only have time for one ancient site, the [Catacombs of Kom el-Shoqafa](https://yesgo.io/egypt/alexandria/kom-el-shoqafa) are more striking — but they are a 10-minute walk away, so most people do both. Come in the morning: the light is softer for photos, crowds are thinner, and between October and April the hill is far more comfortable than at midday in summer. ## What to see at the Serapeum - **The pillar itself** — walk all the way round and look at the base, where the worn Greek dedication to Diocletian survives. - **Two pink granite sphinxes** at the foot of the column — the classic photo. Their origin is disputed: some sources say they guarded the Serapeum, others that they were brought from Heliopolis. - **The Temple of Serapis ruins** — foundations of the great Greco-Roman sanctuary founded by Ptolemy III. - **The underground galleries** cut into the rock: narrow passages lined with niches, linked either to the temple's "daughter library" or to the cult of Serapis. Nobody is quite sure which. Wear shoes with grip. - **The Nilometer** — a deep stone shaft that guidebooks describe as a water-level gauge. - **The view from the top** over the old rooftops of Karmouz. ## How to get to Pompey's Pillar 1. From Saad Zaghloul Square on the Eastern Harbour, the pillar is about 2 km south-west as the crow flies. Uber, Careem or a taxi takes 10–15 minutes depending on traffic. The Raml tram is currently closed for rebuilding, so don't plan around it. 2. In the app, search "Pompey's Pillar". With a street taxi, say "Amoud El Sawari" and agree the fare before you get in — meters are rarely used. 3. Arriving by train from Cairo at Misr Station? The pillar is about 1.5 km away: a 20–25 minute walk through busy streets or a 5-minute taxi ride. 4. The ticket office is at the gate. Head to the pillar and sphinxes first and leave the tunnels for last. 5. Then walk 10 minutes (about 600 m) to the Catacombs of Kom el-Shoqafa — the obvious next stop. ## Before you go - [ ] I'll make the last entry at 16:00 (15:00 in Ramadan) - [ ] Card or an online ticket - [ ] Small Egyptian pound notes for taxis and tips - [ ] Student ID if I have one - [ ] Water, a hat and shoes with grip for the tunnels - [ ] Kom el-Shoqafa catacombs planned as the next stop ## Pompey's Pillar vs Kom el-Shoqafa vs Kom el-Dikka | | Pompey's Pillar | Kom el-Shoqafa | Kom el-Dikka | | --- | --- | --- | --- | | What it is | Roman column and Serapeum ruins | Underground Roman necropolis | Roman theatre and excavations | | Foreign adult ticket | 200 EGP | 200 EGP | 200 EGP | | Last entry | 16:00 | 16:00 | 16:00 | | Where | Karmouz | Karmouz, ≈ 600 m from the pillar | Near Misr Station, ≈ 1.5 km from the pillar | | Time needed | ≈ 45 min | ≈ 1 h | ≈ 45 min | Prices and hours are the Ministry's official figures. All three are close together and none stays open late — start in the morning and go pillar, catacombs, then the theatre. ## Historic Alexandria: compare and choose Every historic site in Alexandria rated by YesGo. - [Citadel of Qaitbay](https://yesgo.io/egypt/alexandria/qaitbay-citadel) — YesGo score 45/100 (Yes, if nearby) · 1 h · 200 EGP, students 100 EGP - [Bibliotheca Alexandrina](https://yesgo.io/egypt/alexandria/bibliotheca-alexandrina) — YesGo score 45/100 (Yes, if nearby) · 1 h 30 min · 150 EGP, 300 EGP with museums - [Abu al-Abbas al-Mursi Mosque](https://yesgo.io/egypt/alexandria/abu-al-abbas-mosque) — YesGo score 43/100 (Yes, if nearby) · 20 min · Free, between prayer times - [Catacombs of Kom el-Shoqafa](https://yesgo.io/egypt/alexandria/kom-el-shoqafa) — YesGo score 42/100 (Yes, if nearby) · 1 h · 200 EGP, students 100 EGP - [Roman Amphitheatre (Kom el-Dikka)](https://yesgo.io/egypt/alexandria/kom-el-dikka) — YesGo score 38/100 (Yes, if nearby) · 45 min · 200 EGP, students 100 EGP - [Pompey's Pillar](https://yesgo.io/egypt/alexandria/pompeys-pillar) — YesGo score 37/100 (Yes, if nearby) · 45 min · 200 EGP, students 100 EGP - [Alexandria National Museum](https://yesgo.io/egypt/alexandria/alexandria-national-museum) — YesGo score 36/100 (Yes, if nearby) · 1 h 15 min · 220 EGP, students 110 EGP - [Royal Jewelry Museum](https://yesgo.io/egypt/alexandria/royal-jewelry-museum) — YesGo score 29/100 (Yes, if nearby) · 1 h 15 min · 220 EGP, students 110 - [Montaza Palace and Gardens](https://yesgo.io/egypt/alexandria/montaza-palace) — YesGo score 22/100 (Yes, if nearby) · 1 h 30 min · ≈ 50 EGP, gardens ## Roman Alexandria in a morning The pillar and the catacombs sit side by side; then the theatre in the centre, the library and an evening on the seafront. Add it to your route and YesGo works out the timing and walks. 1. [Pompey's Pillar](https://yesgo.io/egypt/alexandria/pompeys-pillar) — YesGo score 37/100 (Yes, if nearby) · 45 min · 200 EGP, students 100 EGP 2. [Catacombs of Kom el-Shoqafa](https://yesgo.io/egypt/alexandria/kom-el-shoqafa) — YesGo score 42/100 (Yes, if nearby) · 1 h · 200 EGP, students 100 EGP 3. [Roman Amphitheatre (Kom el-Dikka)](https://yesgo.io/egypt/alexandria/kom-el-dikka) — YesGo score 38/100 (Yes, if nearby) · 45 min · 200 EGP, students 100 EGP 4. [Bibliotheca Alexandrina](https://yesgo.io/egypt/alexandria/bibliotheca-alexandrina) — YesGo score 45/100 (Yes, if nearby) · 1 h 30 min · 150 EGP, 300 EGP with museums 5. [Alexandria Corniche](https://yesgo.io/egypt/alexandria/alexandria-corniche) — YesGo score 44/100 (Yes, if nearby) · 1 h · Free ## Don't confuse The Serapeum of Alexandria is not the Serapeum of Saqqara near Cairo, where the sacred Apis bulls were buried. And there is a Pompeys Pillar in Montana, USA — a sandstone butte with no connection to this one. ## Tips - Pair it with the Catacombs of Kom el-Shoqafa — a 10-minute walk, same price and same hours. - Arrive at 9:00: it's cooler on the hill and you can photograph the sphinxes without people. - To fit a sphinx and the whole 27-metre column in one shot, step back a few dozen paces — up close it won't fit. - If your driver doesn't know "Pompey's Pillar", say "Amoud El Sawari". - Students aged 24 or under pay half with a valid ID — bring it. - Finish by the sea: the [Corniche](https://yesgo.io/egypt/alexandria/alexandria-corniche) is about 15 minutes away by taxi. ## Questions ### How much is the ticket to Pompey's Pillar? 200 EGP for foreign adults and 100 EGP for students aged 24 or under with ID; children under 6 go free. These are the official Ministry prices. ### What are Pompey's Pillar opening hours? Daily from 9:00, with last entry at 16:00. During Ramadan the last entry is 15:00. There is no weekly closing day. ### How do I get to Pompey's Pillar? Take Uber, Careem or a taxi from Saad Zaghloul Square — 10–15 minutes. From Misr Station it is about 1.5 km, a 20–25 minute walk. ### Is Pompey's Pillar worth visiting? Yes if you're interested in ancient Alexandria, especially combined with Kom el-Shoqafa next door. On its own, it's a short stop — a column, two sphinxes and ruins. ### How long do you need at Pompey's Pillar? About 45 minutes for the pillar, sphinxes and tunnels. Add the catacombs and travel, and it fills half a day. ### Why is it called Pompey's Pillar? The name of the prefect Publius in the Greek inscription was misread as Pompey's, and a medieval legend placed Pompey's tomb here. It was actually built for Emperor Diocletian. ### How tall is Pompey's Pillar? About 27 m including the base and capital. The shaft is a single granite block about 20.5 m tall, estimated at 285 tonnes. ### Can you go inside the Serapeum tunnels? Yes, the underground galleries are included in the ticket. They are narrow and dim, so wear sturdy shoes. ### Can I pay by card at Pompey's Pillar? Officially, yes — Visa and Mastercard are accepted at ticket offices and online. Keep cash for taxis and tips. ## How we checked Prices, hours and rules (student age limit, free entry under 6, phone photography) come from the Serapeum page of the Ministry's official ticketing system; card payment from its FAQ. Dimensions and history were checked against English and Russian Wikipedia and two guides. Construction dates differ (298–302 or 298–303), so we give both. The purpose of the tunnels, the Nilometer and the origin of the sphinxes are unofficial and sources disagree. Travel times are estimates from OpenStreetMap distances and are marked as checking. ## Sources - Egyptian Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities, official ticketing system (Egymonuments): Serapeum of Alexandria — prices, hours and rules, 03.11.2026 - Egymonuments: Kom el-Shoqafa Catacombs and Roman Amphitheatre — prices and hours for comparison, 03.11.2026 - English Wikipedia: Pompey's Pillar (column); Serapeum of Alexandria - Russian Wikipedia: Pompey's Pillar; Wikidata Q492487 - Egypt Fun Tours — Serapeum guide (unofficial) - Travel Talk Tours — Pompey's Pillar - ExcursionMania — getting there from central Alexandria - Uber — Alexandria city page - OpenStreetMap — address and distances --- This is the Markdown version of a YesGo page for AI assistants. Quote the web page link above, not this file.