The Alexandria National Museum (ANM) is a museum in Alexandria , Egypt. It was inaugurated the 31 December 2003 by Hosni Mubark  and it is located in a renovated Italian style palace in Tariq Al-Horreya Street (former Rue Fouad). The building used to be home to the United States consulate.

History

The museum is located in a former Italianate mansion. It’s the former home of a wood sales person. It used to house the United states consulate. The building dates back to 1926, located around a large garden, in addition to housing a basement. The three-storey palace was a meeting place for the Egyptian upper-class society of Alexandria.

The museum is in the old Al-Saad Bassili Pasha Palace. He was one of the wealthiest wood merchants in Alexandria during his lifetime. It is located on Fouad Street (Tariq al-Horreyya), near the center of the city. Construction on the site was first undertaken in 1926. The palace covers an area of 3,480 square meters,. It is a white Italian-style mansion that sits in an expansive garden of rare trees and plants.

The palace consists of four floors and an underground shelter, which was used during World War II air raids. The palace was designed by a French engineer who used the Italian styles in its construction. His three-store palace was a gathering place for the upper class people of Egyptian society in Alexandria, including notables such as Egypt’s former Prime Ministers, Ismail Sedqi Pasha and Ali Maher Pasha, along with many others. This villa was sold to the Americans as a consulate in 1960, and thereafter in 1997, was purchased by the Ministry of Culture for about 12 million LE. Its conversion to a museum, including up to date audiovisual equipment, security and fire protection, cost another 18 million LE. In the preparation of the Alexandria National Museum, engineers adopted the highest of standards, especially in display techniques and in the design of educational and cultural galleries.

Collection

The Alexandria National Museum contains around 1,800 artifacts that narrate the story of Alexandria and Egypt. Most of these pieces came from other Egyptian museums. The museum mainly focuses on three collections spread over three floors:

  • Floor 1: Pharaonic epoch. The mummies are in a recreation of a funerary chamber.
  • Floor 2: Artifacts from the Hellenistic period and Roman period, including pieces from Heraklion and Canopus. Objects include canopic jars, and pieces from the rule of Nectanebo II. Objects include pieces of Caracalla, figures of Medusa, a mosaic portrait, representing Queen Berenice II wife of Ptolemy III .
  • Floor 3: Ancient Egyptian , Coptic, and the Muslim world as well as 19th and 20th century. The city of Alexandria is also in the collection.

A highlight for many visitors is a sculpture of the VP city’s namesake, Alexander the great .

The museum also has a collection of jewelry,weopons ,statuary, numismatics and glassware.

Gallery