Saad Zaghloul Square

The central square of downtown Alexandria, where the corniche meets the historic European quarter. Flanked by the Cecil Hotel, the Metropole Hotel, and a string of cafes, the square has been the city's main public meeting point for the better part of a century.

Stop on the way to or from the corniche for a coffee at one of the surrounding cafes — Trianon, on Mahatet el-Raml just south of the square, is the most atmospheric. The bronze statue of Saad Zaghloul at the centre is one of the city's most-photographed monuments, particularly at sunset when the light catches the surrounding buildings. The original site of the Caesareum is now entirely built over, but the square's name and the two relocated obelisks are the last echo of that ancient temple.

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The square was the original site of Cleopatra's Caesareum — the temple complex built by Cleopatra VII in honour of Mark Antony and later rededicated by Augustus to himself. The two great obelisks that flanked the Caesareum (the so-called 'Cleopatra's Needles') were removed in the 19th century: one to London's Embankment in 1877, one to New York's Central Park in 1881. The square is named after the founder of Egypt's Wafd Party — the bronze figure with one hand raised in the centre of the square is his memorial.

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