Serapeum of Alexandria and Pompey's Pillar

The Serapeum of Alexandria was an ancient Greek temple built by Ptolemy III Euergetes (r. 246-222 BC) and dedicated to the syncretic god Serapis, patron deity of Alexandria. The temple housed a daughter library of the Great Library of Alexandria, making it one of the Mediterranean's most important intellectual centres. Today the site is dominated by Pompey's Pillar, a 25-metre tall red Aswan granite column with a Corinthian capital, actually erected in 292 AD in honour of Emperor Diocletian -- misnamed by Crusaders who believed Pompey's head was buried within. The Serapeum was destroyed in 391 AD when Patriarch Theophilus led a mob to raze the temple following Emperor Theodosius I's decree against paganism.