Marsa Matrouh Museum
๐ Location: Inside the Misr Public Library, central Marsa Matrouh ย ยท ย ๐บ Focus: Western Coast and Western Desert ย ยท ย ๐๏ธ Tickets: 80 EGP foreign adults
Egypt's north-western corner has a fascinating archaeological story that almost no visitor ever hears about. The Marsa Matrouh Museum, opened on the upper floors of the new Misr Public Library building, tells it. The display covers 728 mยฒ across two floors and is organised around the long history of this stretch of Mediterranean coast โ the Seventh Nome of Lower Egypt in pharaonic times, Lubia to the Egyptians, and Paraetonium (or Amunia, "the city of Amun") to the Greeks and Romans.
The galleries highlight Egypt's pharaonic frontier fortifications along the Libyan border โ a chain of forts built by Ramses II that has only recently been re-discovered by archaeologists โ together with maritime trade, fishing, and the ancient cult of Amun at the Oracle of Siwa which Alexander the Great famously consulted in 331 BC. Don't miss the section on Hellenistic learning and trade connections, and the engaging exhibit on bedouin desert culture.
The library itself is air-conditioned and a fine place to read on a hot Mediterranean afternoon.
Highlights
- Pharaonic frontier-fort exhibits
- Greco-Roman Paraetonium / Amunia material
- Cult of Amun and the Oracle of Siwa
- Bedouin culture gallery
- Mediterranean maritime trade objects
Visiting
- Opening hours: 8 am โ 10 pm (closed 3โ5 pm)
- Tickets: 80 EGP foreign adults; 40 EGP students
- Best time: any time โ bonus refuge from the midday heat
- Nearby: Cleopatra's Bath, Rommel's Cave, Siwa Oasis (4 hrs south)