Picture - The Temple of Ras el-Souda, Alexandria

Originally published July 14, 2009 | Zahi Hawass' Photo Blog | by Garry Shaw

Having been moved 10km from its original location due to the threat of rising groundwater, the Temple of Ras el-Souda is now the centrepiece of the new Mosaic Museum in Alexandria, which is currently under construction. The temple was discovered in 1936 and dates to the Second Century AD. A charioteer named Isidorus helped finance the temple and dedicated a large statue of a foot here after he recovered from a chariot racing injury.

A Day in Alexandria

Originally published July 16, 2009 | Zahi Hawass' Blog | by Zahi Hawass

Last week I went to Alexandria to see the work currently taking place to improve the museums there, and to get an update on the current status of these various projects. When I first became Secretary General of the Supreme Council of Antiquities many of the museums in Alexandria were run-down, and so I decided that they needed to be closed for renovation, in order to improve them and to turn them into world class museums. Many people did not want the museums to be closed, but I told them that they needed to be fixed and that action needed to be taken immediately.