Abu Mena
The remains of a town, monastery and pilgrimage centre of late antiquity, about 50 kilometres south-west of Alexandria, built around the tomb of Saint Menas. Few walls still stand, but the foundations of the great basilica are easy to trace.
- Where
- Borg El Arab, Alexandria, Egypt
- Grade
- UNESCO heritage
- Worth
- 10 points collected on site, plus 8 for its grade
- Coordinates
- 30.8410, 29.6635
Get the Abu Mena stamp
Open LOQAH when you are at Abu Mena. It checks where you are once, at that moment, and the stamp is yours: confirmed on site in gold and struck with the date. It goes into your Alexandria volume with your photos and a note.
Near Abu Mena
Pompey's Pillar 44 km
A giant Roman column of red granite, raised between 298 and 302 AD in honour of the emperor Diocletian, not Pompey. It once carried a porphyry statue of the emperor in armour, and stands over the ruins of the Serapeum.
Catacombs of Kom el Shoqafa 45 km
Roman era tombs cut deep into the rock and reached by a spiral stair, counted among the Seven Wonders of the Middle Ages. Their carvings mix Egyptian gods with Greek and Roman dress and style in a way seen almost nowhere else.
Abu al-Abbas al-Mursi Mosque 46 km
A mosque, mausoleum and Sufi shrine in the Anfoushi quarter, honouring the 13th century mystic Abu'l Abbas al-Mursi, who is buried here. Its tall minaret and domes in cream stone stand out near the seafront of the Eastern Harbour.
Citadel of Qaitbay 46 km
A 15th century sea fortress built between 1477 and 1479 by the Mamluk sultan Qaitbay, at the tip of the old Pharos island at the mouth of the harbour. It stands on the site of the ancient lighthouse of Alexandria, one of the Seven Wonders.
Alexandria National Museum 47 km
A museum in a restored Italian style palace on Tariq Al-Horreya Street, opened in 2003. It traces the city's history from the pharaohs through Greek, Roman, Coptic and Islamic times, including finds raised from the harbour floor.
Bibliotheca Alexandrina 47 km
A modern library and cultural centre on the Mediterranean shore, built in memory of the ancient Library of Alexandria. Its tilted disc of a roof rises from a granite wall carved with letters from scripts around the world.
Montaza Palace 60 km
A royal palace on a low plateau at the eastern end of Alexandria, with towers in a mix of Turkish and Florentine styles. Its large gardens of palms and pines run down to sheltered beaches on the Mediterranean.
El Alamein War Cemetery 68 km
A Commonwealth war cemetery on the desert coast west of Alexandria, for those who died in the Western Desert in the Second World War. Rows of headstones lie in a quiet walled garden, with a memorial listing names of the missing.
Questions
Where is Abu Mena?
Abu Mena is in Borg El Arab, Alexandria, Egypt. The nearest other LOQAH stamps are Pompey's Pillar (44 km), Catacombs of Kom el Shoqafa (45 km), Abu al-Abbas al-Mursi Mosque (46 km).
How do I get the Abu Mena stamp?
Open LOQAH when you are at Abu Mena and get its stamp. The app checks where you are once, at that moment, and the stamp goes into your Alexandria volume, confirmed on site, with the date.
I have been to Abu Mena before. Can I still have the stamp?
Yes. Add it from Earlier trips in your Alexandria volume, with the date if you know it, or import your Google Timeline and LOQAH matches the places you were.
Collect your first stamp.
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