Rommel's Cave Museum

Dug into the cliffside just west of Marsa Matruh's harbour, Rommel's Cave served as the German field marshal's hideout and planning room during the 1942 North Africa campaign. The cave itself is atmospheric — a natural hollow in the limestone, widened and furnished with the basics of a wartime command post. The small museum attached to it holds Rommel's personal items: maps, a uniform coat, the campaign table he used, and photographs from the Desert War.

The museum is modest by international standards but genuinely engaging for anyone interested in military history. The guides are knowledgeable about the campaign and the site's role in it. Give it an hour. The view from the entrance — over the harbour and the bay — is worth the visit on its own terms.

things to do museum
A story
In the summer of 1942, Field Marshal Erwin Rommel used this sea cave as his command post while planning operations during the Western Desert Campaign. He fell ill here with jaundice and hepatitis before being evacuated to Germany. The Afrika Korps cap and other items left behind by Rommel were later discovered in the cave and now form the nucleus of the museum's collection.