It is interesting how many times you can visit a place and still see something different.
Although I have been to Alexandria many times, last week I visited the National Museum of Alexandria for the first time. It was located within a beautiful mansion built by an Egyptian timber merchant in the first half of the twentieth century.
The displayed artefacts are unique and narrate the whole History of the city. The first floor artefacts date back to the Ancient Egyptian era, the second floor pieces tell the story of the city in the Greco-Roman era, while the third floor pieces come from the Islamic period.
The most interesting pieces are the Tinagra statues which are very similar to the artworks of the medieval artisans, and are located in glass cases on the second floor. Most people are surprised to see such similarities in works that were created over such a long time period.
However, the artefacts that most impressed me in this museum were the two gravestones dating back to the Christian Era. A photo of one of these gravestones is above. They show the early Christians in this period were very clearly influenced by the art styles of former eras.
This museum has many less pieces than the Egyptian Museum in Cairo but it is well worth a visit as the artefacts are displayed very well, and the visitor is not overwhelmed by the sheer number of pieces. It is a lovely and calm space, which enables you to reflect on the long history of the country and to consider the development of cultural and artistic styles throughout the different periods.