THE ROMAN AMPHITHEATRE

See the impressively well-preserved Roman amphitheatre in Alexandria! There are many Roman Amphitheatres around Europe which were built during the Roman Empire. However, the Roman Amphitheatre in Alexandria is unique. In fact it is considered to be one of the greatest architectural successes of the Roman time.

The Amphitheatre functioned continuously until the 7th century. During that time it was used for all kinds of different purposes. In the Roman times all kinds of musical ceremonies and gladiatorial games were performed there, whereas in the Byzantine era the Amphitheatre served as place for meetings and as conference halls. With the advent of the early Islamic era, the theatre was somehow neglected until it was rediscovered by coincidence in 1960.