The True Story of Alexander the Great in Ancient Egypt

History Hit's Tristan Hughes travels to Egypt to explore its extraordinary links to one of the most famous names from antiquity, Alexander the Great. Of all the lands in the Eastern Mediterranean, it is Egypt that has the most fascinating—and enduring—connection to this ancient conqueror. It’s a connection that began during Alexander’s lifetime, but endured and evolved significantly following his death, thanks to Alexander’s talismanic corpse, hijacked and fought over between former brothers in arms in an ancient 'Game of Thrones'—with a gruesome climax on the River Nile. From the holiest of holies at Luxor Temple to the Pyramids at Giza, join Tristan as he explores fascinating links to Alexander that can be found all along the Nile—if you know where to look. In the depths of an ancient temple, Tristan finds pharaonic depictions of Alexander, a Macedonian king making offerings to Egyptian gods, and looking no different to famous names such as Ramesses II and Tutankhamun. And he investigates the fascinating links to Alexander at the magnificent necropolis of Saqqara—from the stunning subterranean Serapeum, complete with massive granite sarcophagi designed for the mummified remains of sacred bulls, to a mysterious semi‑circle of half‑destroyed, Greek‑looking statues that may well have marked the first tomb of Alexander in Egypt. This is a story where Alexander’s death was just the beginning.