Cavafy Museum

The preserved apartment of Constantine Cavafy, on the second floor of an unremarkable building on Sharm el-Sheikh Street (formerly Rue Lepsius). The poet lived here from 1907 until his death in 1933. The apartment has been restored with his original furniture, his death mask, his manuscripts, and a research library of editions of his work in every major language.

The museum is small — three rooms — and feels personal in a way most literary museums do not. The walking distance from the Bibliotheca Alexandrina makes the two a coherent pairing for a literary morning. Open 9am to 2pm; closed Monday. Free entry; staff sometimes give an impromptu English-language tour if asked.

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A story
Constantine Cavafy (1863–1933), Alexandria's greatest poet of the modern era, lived in this apartment on the second floor of 10 Rue Lepsius (now 4 Sharm el-Sheikh Street) for the last 25 years of his life. The apartment overlooked a hospital, a brothel, and a church — Cavafy reportedly remarked: 'Below me is a house of ill-repute that caters to the needs of the flesh. Across the way is a church where sins are forgiven. And beyond, a hospital where we die. What a perfect arrangement.' His poems were largely unpublished in his lifetime; E.M. Forster, who knew him in Alexandria, helped introduce his work to English readers.

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