Pompey’s Pillar (Colum) in Alexandria / Egypt

Pompey’s Pillar (Colum) in Alexandria / Egypt. The Pillar is one of the most famous Monuments in Alexandria. It is the remains of the Templke of the Serapeum which was the Temple of the God Serapis which was of Ptolemaic Origin, and was founded by King Ptolemy III, during the third Century BC. The Temple was the largest and most important Temple of Alexandria in the Greek and Roman Periods. The area was known as the Pillar of Al-Sawary for the Arab Travelers which later was mistaken as Al-Sawary and became known as The Pompeiis Pillar, also was known as the Pompeiis Pillar for Historians of the Crusades. The Alexandrians decided to construct the Column in the Sanctury of the Serapeum Temple as a gift to Emperor Diocletian to thank him for redistributing the Wheat Ration that Egypt was supposed to have sent to Rome. The single Column which stands on the Rocky Hilltop in the middle of Alexandria, has nothing at all to do with the Roman Consul and General Gaius Pompey, who was Julius Ceasars opponent in a Civil War and was murdered by a Ptolomaic Pharaoh in 48 BC when he fled to Alexandria. The Legend was initiated by the Crusaders, who was under the impression that the One Hundred Foot Pillar Thirty Meters, Red Aswan Granite Pillar marked his Burial Site. The Pillar is really a triumphant Monument which was constructed approx. 300 AD for the Roman Emperor Diocletian, but the 1 meaning of this archeological Site is what stood here before the Pillar, which was the Site of the Serapeum, Alexandria’s Acropolis Christianity was presented to Egypt and Alexandria in the First Centuries AD, and developed into it’s security. Over time Christianity became the Dominant Religion in Egypt, relegating supporters to the Ancient Traditions and Pagan Gods an irrelevant minority which became more and more unpopular. Dedicated to Alexandria’s Patron God, Serapis The Serapeum was a Symbol of this Ancient Tradition , which conflicted with the increasingly popular ideas of Christianity. In 391 AD, Patriarch Theopheius who was the Leader of the Church of Alexandria , led a Christian horde to destroy the Serapeum and other Symbols of Paganism in the City. Some accounts even blame this horde for the destruction of the Great Library of Alexandria, however this is disputed. In the present times there is only a Single Column which marks the Site of what was at one time a vast and detailed Temple, which was built of Marble and adorned with Precious Metals on the interior. Some of the Tunnels which are around the Complex remain and are opened for the Tourists to explore, also some of the Artfacts have been recovered from the Temple. A real Life size Black Basalt constructed from the Temple, and a Golden Plaque marking the Foundation of the Serapis are on Display in the Greco-Roman Museum.