Burj Al Arab: Desert Character, Craftsmanship and Taposiris

Burj Al Arab and its surroundings are defined by their desert character and a Bedouin-influenced setting. They are also home to local craft traditions and archaeological traces around Taposiris Magna. If you are looking for a holiday rental, you can first consider whether you would prefer to connect your stay with the landscape and crafts, or with the history of ancient structures and production sites.

Desert Character and Local Crafts

The desert landscape and Bedouin-influenced setting give Burj Al Arab its own regional character. Local crafts are also part of this: kilims and carpets are made in Burj al-Arab. Some families make and embroider traditional Bedouin clothing. These crafts complement the archaeological themes with work that is directly connected to local life. When planning your trip, these offer different perspectives on the area: the landscape and cultural character on the one hand, and the specific skills of craft-making families on the other.

Abu Sir and the History of Taposiris

The archaeological sites of Burj Al Arab include the Abu Sir Temple, also known as Taposiris Magna. Taposiris was founded at roughly the same time as Alexandria. The Abu Sir Temple dates back to the 4th century BC and was later converted into a monastery called Dair al-Zujaj. The remains of large glass furnaces have been preserved at Dair al-Zujaj in Abu Sir. The area’s history therefore encompasses not only temples and religious structures, but also traces of craft production.

Taposiris has the last surviving lighthouse in a chain that stretched from Alexandria to Libya. Burj al-Arab is also home to the Ptolemaic tower, which still stands today. It is also known as Pharos Abu Sir, and is three storeys, or 20 metres, tall, with a clearly defined structure: the base is square, the middle section hexagonal and the upper section round. Those interested in architecture will find both a historical link to the lighthouse chain and a single structure with a distinctive sequence of geometric forms.

Abu Sir Mariout is also among the area’s archaeological sites. It contains the only surviving temple built in the ancient Egyptian style. This distinctive architectural feature can be considered alongside the history of the Abu Sir Temple and the tower, without conflating the different sites.

Ancient Production and Transport

Other finds draw attention to the production and storage of goods. Burj al-Arab has archaeological wine presses from the Ptolemaic, Roman and Byzantine periods. Workshops discovered here produced pottery vessels and amphorae used to store and transport wine and olive oil. Together, these traces reveal different aspects of ancient production: processing grapes, making suitable vessels, and using them for storage and transport. Archaeological interest thus extends beyond individual monuments to the activities that shaped everyday life and the exchange of goods.

Routes and Choosing Your Base

Several routes provide geographic orientation. The Alexandria–Marsa Matruh coastal road runs parallel to the Mediterranean coast, with several roads branching off towards Burj al-Arab. The Kafoury–Hammam road branches off the Cairo–Alexandria desert road. It passes through Bahig, Burj al-Arab and غربانيات. The Alexandria–Marsa Matruh railway line also passes through these places. These routes describe different corridors that you can distinguish when planning your trip. Check current route and timetable information for your specific journey.

When looking for accommodation, you can consider your arrival and the focus of your stay as separate questions. The roads and railway line provide information about the routes mentioned, while local crafts, the desert landscape and the archaeological sites offer different points of interest. This lets you base your holiday rental search on which aspects of Burj Al Arab you would like to discover, without combining the individual places and stories into a single sightseeing itinerary.

Discover more destinations: ADH Dheraa Al Bahri, Bahig.

Go to the regional travel overview: Qesm Borg Al Arab.