Alexander the Great, king of Macedon, reached Egypt in 332 BC and took it from the Persians almost without a fight. He stayed only a few months, but in that short time he founded Alexandria, visited a famous oracle in the desert, and began three centuries of Greek rule that ended with Cleopatra.
Welcomed as pharaoh
The Egyptians had suffered under the Persians and greeted Alexander as a liberator. He was accepted as pharaoh and honored the Egyptian gods. At Luxor Temple you can still see the shrine he rebuilt, with reliefs showing him as a pharaoh making offerings to Amun.
The oracle at Siwa
Alexander made a long and dangerous journey across the Western Desert to the oasis of Siwa, home of an oracle of Amun. The priests are said to have greeted him as the son of the god, which strengthened his claim to rule.
Alexandria and his tomb
In 331 BC Alexander chose a site on the coast between the sea and Lake Mareotis for a new city. Alexandria became the capital of Egypt and a center of learning, with its great library and lighthouse. Alexander died in Babylon in 323 BC. His general Ptolemy brought his body to Egypt, and it was later placed in a tomb in Alexandria that Roman emperors visited. Its location has been lost. Explore the city on our Alexandria day tours.
