Alexandria Governorate houses numerous archaeological treasures, including those in various museums of the Bride of the Mediterranean, notably the National Museum which contains diverse artifacts. Recently, the Ministry of Tourism announced the temporary opening of the Sunken Antiquities Museum to the public to showcase and explore marine treasures. The exhibition is the first of its kind in Alexandria, displaying 86 pieces discovered from the sunken cities of Canopus and Heracleion in Abu Qir Bay east of Alexandria, reflecting daily life, religious beliefs, and funerary rituals during the Ptolemaic and Roman eras. According to Mohamed Saeed, an archaeological expert in Alexandria, the National Museum is one of the oldest museums and includes a section dedicated to sunken antiquities, expanded after recent discoveries in Abu Qir.

The museum also features a specialized library with over 1100 books covering ancient Egyptian, Greek, Roman, Coptic, Islamic, and modern artifacts, as well as restoration sciences and cultural topics, including accessibility for the visually impaired. The museum’s architecture reflects Alexandria’s multicultural history, with chronological sections covering ancient Egyptian, Greek, Coptic, Islamic, and modern periods. It includes a model of an ancient Egyptian tomb and a hall dedicated to sunken artifacts discovered off Alexandria’s coast. The museum also has a private garden with rare plants, offering a pleasant family visit. Among the most famous exhibits are parts of Coptic textiles dating back to the 7th-8th centuries AD, historically gifted by Egypt to Saudi Arabia for the Kaaba’s covering, and a marble bust of Roman Emperor Hadrian (117-138 AD), known for his love of art and culture.

Hadrian visited Egypt in 130 AD and founded the city Antinopolis in southern Egypt in memory of his close friend Antinous, who drowned in the Nile. The bust is displayed in the Greek-Roman section of the museum.