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The city is a convenient stop-over for travelers on their way to Siwa.
Fortress and temple dating
from Ramesses II : The ruins present today are
proof of a time when the walls of the pharaonic Temple of Ramesses II
stood here. Built at the end of his campaign against the Libyans in 1200
BC, the complex was used as a stronghold to defend the frontier with
Libya.
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Lies
295 km west of Alexandria and 510 km northwest of Cairo : Marsa
Matruh is the last town before the Libyan border and shares its history
with some famous figures. Alexander the Great is said to have stopped
here on his way to the Siwa Oasis and Cleopatra is reputed to have come
here to bathe. It was here that General Rommel set up his field
headquarters and directed German troops in the decisive Battle of El-Alamein
in 1942.
The
beaches : Marsa Matruh lies on the edge of a
large lagoon protected by a Corniche along which tourists are ferried in
local donkey-drawn carriages known as caretta. Whilst the most beautiful
beaches are located outside the town, it is advisable to stay within the
built-up areas. Among the most amazing of the beaches is that of Agiba
(28 km west) with its natural caves. On the edge of the desert, the
place known as “Cleopatra’s bath” is a wonderful bay, its clear waters
surrounded by rocks giving the impression of a vast, square pool in
which, according to legend, Cleopatra came to bathe. The ruins of one of
her palaces were uncovered on the hillside opposite the pool.
Libyan
Souk (market) : Nowadays the market sells
goods from Libya, Morocco, Algeria, Tunisia and Europe as well as local
produce such as wool, olives, barley, sheep, dates and watermelons.
