Pompey’s Pillar is the surviving 28-metre Roman triumphal column at the ancient Serapeum precinct in Alexandria, carved from a single block of Aswan granite and erected in 298 CE to honour Emperor Diocletian after he ended the revolt of Domitius Domitianus. The column is the tallest ancient monolithic column still standing outside Rome and Constantinople, and stands at the heart of what was once the Serapeum of Alexandria, a major temple of the syncretic god Serapis founded under Ptolemy I and home to one of the ancient world’s most important daughter libraries to the Library of Alexandria. Most visitors see the pillar as the first stop on an Alexandria day tour from Cairo, combined with the nearby Catacombs of Kom El Shoqafa.
The Serapeum of Alexandria was founded by Ptolemy I Soter in the late 4th century BCE as the religious centrepiece of his new Egyptian capital. The temple was dedicated to Serapis, a hybrid god created by the early Ptolemies to bridge Egyptian (Osiris-Apis) and Greek (Zeus) religious traditions and to serve as a unifying deity for the multicultural population of the new Hellenistic city.
The Serapeum complex grew through the Ptolemaic and Roman periods to become the largest temple in Alexandria, with a main sanctuary, surrounding colonnades, scholarly quarters, and a daughter library that supplemented the main Library of Alexandria. At its peak in the 1st and 2nd centuries CE, the Serapeum was the second most-important religious institution in Egypt after the temples of Karnak and Luxor in Thebes.
The pillar itself was added later, in 298 CE, following the end of an 8-month rebellion by Domitius Domitianus against Emperor Diocletian. After Diocletian retook Alexandria, the local Roman prefect Postumus erected the column in the Serapeum precinct as a thank-you monument to the emperor. The Greek inscription on the base reads: ‘To the most just emperor, the tutelary deity of Alexandria, Diocletian the invincible, Postumus, prefect of Egypt.’
The Serapeum was destroyed in 391 CE by Christian mobs led by the Patriarch Theophilus during the imperial campaign to close pagan temples. The library was burned, the Serapis cult statue was demolished, and the temple buildings were torn down. The pillar, too large to easily destroy, was left standing alone amid the ruins. Medieval Crusaders later misidentified it as Pompey’s tomb, giving the monument its enduring (and misleading) name.
The Pillar itself stands 28 metres tall on a 2.7-metre base, carved from a single block of pink Aswan granite weighing approximately 285 tonnes. The shaft tapers slightly from the base to the Corinthian capital. The Greek dedication to Diocletian is carved at the base on the western side, weathered but still legible.
The Two Granite Sphinxes flanking the pillar are Ptolemaic-era pieces moved here from elsewhere in Alexandria in the 1960s. They predate the pillar by 600 years and represent typical Ptolemaic royal sphinxes with the lion body and pharaoh-headed face.
The Catacomb of Anubis is a small adjoining underground chamber discovered in 1944 and accessed by a short staircase. The walls hold Roman-era niches that once held cremation urns and small statues of the god Anubis.
The Nilometer is a Roman-era water-level measurement well used to track the annual Nile flood. The stepped well is still partially preserved with measurement markings on the inner wall.
The Serapeum ruins surround the pillar on all sides. The foundation walls, broken column drums, fragments of Greek inscriptions, and scattered statue pieces give a sense of the temple’s original scale.
The Site Museum display at the entrance holds recovered statue fragments, smaller archaeological finds, and information panels in English and Arabic explaining the Serapeum’s history.
Location: Bab Sharqi district, Alexandria, around 3 km south-west of central Alexandria and 1 km north of the Catacombs of Kom El Shoqafa.
Opening hours: 09:00 to 17:00 daily. Last entry around 16:00.
Entrance fee (2026, subject to change): Approximately 150 EGP (around $3 USD) for foreign-visitor adults, 75 EGP for students with international ID. Combined ticket with the Catacombs of Kom El Shoqafa saves around 50 EGP.
Photography: Permitted throughout without flash. Tripods need a separate paid permit.
Time needed: 30 to 45 minutes for a careful visit including the surrounding Serapeum ruins and the Catacomb of Anubis.
Getting there: Every Alexandria day tour from Cairo includes Pompey’s Pillar, typically as the first morning stop before the Catacombs. From central Alexandria, take a taxi from any Corniche hotel for around 80 EGP one-way.
Accessibility: The main pillar area is paved and largely accessible. The Catacomb of Anubis side stop requires descending a short staircase.
Combine with the Catacombs of Kom El Shoqafa. The two sites sit within 1 km of each other and most travellers visit both in a single morning. The combined ticket saves the cost of separate entries.
Stand at the base and look up. The pillar’s scale only registers when you stand directly beneath it. The 285-tonne granite shaft raised to vertical without modern machinery is one of the great Roman engineering achievements still visible today.
Read the dedication inscription. The Greek text at the western base of the pillar is still legible and reveals the misnaming: it dedicates the column to Diocletian, not Pompey.
Visit early morning. The first arrival window (09:00 to 10:00) is the most comfortable, with cool air and good photography light. Tour buses begin arriving from Cairo by 10:30.
Pompey’s Pillar is included in every EDT Alexandria itinerary. The three best options:
Every EDT Alexandria tour includes private transport, entrance fees, bottled water, and a licensed Egyptologist guide.
A 28-metre Roman triumphal column at the ancient Serapeum precinct in Alexandria, carved from a single block of Aswan granite and erected in 298 CE to honour Emperor Diocletian. It is the tallest ancient monolithic column still standing outside Rome and Constantinople.
Medieval Crusaders misidentified it as the burial monument of the Roman general Pompey. The column actually honours Diocletian and was erected 300 years after Pompey’s death in 48 BCE.
The largest temple in Alexandria, founded under Ptolemy I and dedicated to the syncretic god Serapis. It included a daughter library that supplemented the main Library of Alexandria and was destroyed by Christian mobs led by Patriarch Theophilus in 391 CE.
Yes for travellers interested in Greco-Roman Egypt, ancient engineering, or the history of the Serapeum. Best combined with the Catacombs of Kom El Shoqafa for a half-day Alexandria itinerary.
30 to 45 minutes for a careful visit including the surrounding Serapeum ruins, the two granite sphinxes, the Catacomb of Anubis side stop, and the small site museum at the entrance.
No. Climbing the column or the surrounding ruins is prohibited. The pillar can only be admired from ground level.