El Alamein World War II Battlefield In Egypt
Museum, Military Cemetery Commemorate World War Two in North Africa
Feb 23, 2009
The sun beats down today as fiercely over El-Alamein in northern Egypt as it did some 65 years ago, when Italian, German, British, Canadian, New Zealand, South African, Australian, Egyptian, and other soldiers battled for dominance of North Africa. The winner would control the Suez Canal - the sea route from the Mediterranean to the Indian Ocean - and much of the Middle East.
The turning point came at El-Alamein, just 60 miles west of Alexandria, where the Allies drove the Axis powers out of North Africa. Today, visitors staying in Alexandria can take a day trip to visit the museum and cemetery that commemorates the battles and the men who served and died here
Egypt's World War II Military Museum at El-Alamein
A tour of the small military museum begins outside, with displays of tanks, aircraft, jeeps, mines, and other armaments and wrecks from World War II's North African campaign,.
Inside the El-Alamein Museum, a low-tech diorama of North Africa shows the various campaigns. A tape recording tells the story with scratchy old music reminiscent of World War II newsreels, while flashing lights identify the regions on the map.
The museum is divided into sections, with rooms focusing on some of the nationalities that fought. The displays are a bit haphazard, and some of the descriptions are in broken English written in faded type on yellowing pieces of paper taped to the walls. Still, the museum conveys the struggle against not only the enemy, but against the Sahara Desert's heat, sand, dust, and unrelenting sun..
Egypt's British Military Cemetery at El-Alamein
A few minutes from the museum are several memorials and the British Military Cemetery. Enter through an archway, which is part of a larger memorial structure. Stone steps on either side leads to the top of the arch, which looks out on an overview of the cemetery and of the companion monument that borders the far side of the lines of gravestones.
As in American military cemeteries, the graves are uniform, more than 7,000 of them lined up in neat rows. British military cemeteries allow families of the deceased to supply an inscription for the headstone. Reading the poignant, loving testaments, one after the other, occasionally interrupted by the grave of a solider inscribed "Known only to God," is a moving and sobering experience. Graveside plants -- various cacti and succulents - -are irrigated, to help them survive in the baking sun. A few shade trees shelter a small number of the graves.
El-Alamein Hotels and Tour Options from Alexandria., Egypt
A day trip from Alexandria is the most popular way to visit El-Alamein. Hotels can usually make arrangements, or check with the tourist office, located just off the Corniche in Alexandria's town center, a hundred yards or so from the famed Cecil Hotel (of Alexandria Quartet fame).
Visitors can also stay at the five-star Porto Marino resort on the Mediterranean Coast, a five-minute drive from the El-Alamein memorials. Porto Marino is a five-star hotel, catering mostly to wealthy Egyptians and visitors from Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Dubai -- and some from Europe, as well. The development includes about 300 rooms and some 2000 condos, and is expanding. Its Venetian-themed design includes a gondolas that float on a canal crossed by foot-bridges, shops (mostly closed in winter), boats, and a small beach. The Mediterranean Coast west of Alexandria is mobbed in summer; in winter, however, it is very quiet. Bring alcohol if you want any; the hotel caters to a mostly Muslim clientele, and doesn't sell any.
A final note: When visiting Egypt's North African coast, do not wander into the desert or into areas marked "do not enter" (including beaches and battlefield sites). Millions of World War II land mines still dot the area, an enduring and sometime deadly reminder of the region's history.
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