wendy house

How can I visit Alexandria and not know that there is a pillar called Bombay Pompey’s pillar there? 

There is some serious tut-tut-tutting going on

I was drawn to Alexandria Library 

More wonderful than anticipated.  It was highly anticipated. I spent much of the time there sitting, listening to the building, watching the students.  The library website has a collection of photographs of the museum, its settings and collections.

The library has a ‘Nobel section’ that is furnished with a replica of the furniture and lighting designed specially for the Nobel Institute in Stockholm and contains the book collections of Nobel Prize Laureates in Literature from 1901-2006. I don’t think that fits strictly with the Dewey Decimal system. It is a socially meaningful way to highlight books ‘I’d like something from the Nobel room please…  ‘

There are several museums, a planetarium and a caligraphy centre within the Library.  This makes sense to me,  being more than a repository of books,  being a place to explore the world beyond the here and now.  Most libraries are more than a repository of books,  this one has so many enticing advantages through imagination, United Nations funding and gifts from many countries.

I had less than an hour at the Library

The library warranted staying in Alexandria for at least a year….  …seeking sponsorship for specialist research….   ….something more than a tourist walkthrough….

SIGH

Egyptian guide: We will go to Bomay’s pillau

Clearly I was misunderstanding what my Egyptian guide was telling me,  though visiting Bombay’s pillau in Alexandria did sound rather facinating.  The sign at the Sarapeiona temple we visited cleared-up the mystery.  The Sarapeona temple was built by Hadrian in the second century,  the same Hadrian that walled-out the Scotttish from England.  Unfortunately those darned Christians destroyed this non-christian the temple in the 4th century….   the pillar remained standing

Pompey’s pillar

No rice.  No connection to the Indian city.

Ceasars son-in-law, Pompey, had a history of disputes with Ceasar. Pompey travelled to Alexandria hoping to find refuge with the Egyptians. Upon arrival Pompey was beheaded by Ptolemy XIII as un unsolicited favour to Ceasar.  Ceasar didn’t approve.  Subsequent tourists looking for Pompey’s tomb mistakenly named the pillar in the Sarapeiona temple after him. The name remained with the pillar.