European Stars and Stripes (Newspaper) - January 21, 1993, Darmstadt, Hesse Mim Pompey s pillar guarded by two sphinxes stands atop a Small Hill in downtown Alexandria. A near perfect Sphinx stands near Ompey s pillar. Pompey s pillar High atop a Small Hill in downtown Alexandria stands Pompey s pillar. The pillar received its name during the period of the crusades because it is believed to Mark the spot where Caesar s great rival Pompey was buried. However that belief was disproved when stones were found in the substructure of the column with an inscription honouring the emperor Diocletian who supplied food for the starving population after the siege of the City. It was erected in the year 302 by the roman prefect Posthumus in Honor of Diocletian. The pillar a column 84 feet High and about 7 feet thick is made of polished Aswan Rose Granite some historians contend that it was originally within a portico surrounded by 400 columns. An Entrance on the West Side of the pillar leads Down a flight of stairs into Long subterranean Chambers that May have been part of the Temple of Serapis it is surrounded by a courtyard that is Lush Green something rarely seen in Egypt. The other remains at the site include four sphinxes two of the sphinxes headless and made of Pink Granite Bear the names of Hore Heb and Ramses ii. There is also a scarab of red Aswan Granite and Many stumps of Granite columns. All belong to the so called daughter Library of Alexandria. This Library is not the great Imperial Library that was used by the people of Alexandria. A Craig Martins amps photos by Ken George january 21, 1993 stripes Magazine 1 f
