Description: The site that is named for the tall pillar that stands there also contains much smaller statues. The pillar is named Pompey's Pillar. In the Middle Ages, European visitors who saw this pillar gave it this name because they believed that a ball containing the head of Pompey, who was killed upon landing in Egypt in 48 BCE, had been displayed here. It was actually erected by the Roman Emperor Diocletian in 297 BCE. It is believed that originally it contained a statue of him on top.
To reach the pillar, you must walk up some stairs that are not that wide. Going up and down, we ended up having to wait and/or squeeze by because there were other groups on the stairs. To you left when you reach the top of the stairs, you can see the backs of three sphinxes, and the one in the middle is missing its head. If you walk out far enough in front of the sphinxes, you can get a great photo of the three with the pillar in the background. This is the easiest place to go to get the whole pillar into a picture. Many other statues that were unearthed elsewhere have been moved here for display. Most date from the Ptolemaic Period.
Admission price when I was here was 10 Egyptian pounds, which is less than $2.
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