El-Alamein

Understand

thumb|Relief at a pillar at the German memorial – the text translates to "Respect life" El-Alamein is famous for the two Second World War battles fought here in 1942. The first battle took place on 27 July, when the German-Italian Panzerarmee Afrika commanded by Erwin Rommel coming from Tobruk, Libya, managed to break through the lines of the British Commonwealth troops and advance to Height 26 west of El-Alamein.

A few months later they tried to advance further, leading to the second battle that was fought between 23 October and 4 November. There the Axis tank army was beaten by the British 8th army commanded by Bernard Montgomery. In total, around 80,000 soldiers were wounded or killed in the two battles.

From 1943 to 1947, German and Italian POWs, under the command of the British, collected the fallen from the battlefields and buried them in cemeteries in town. The temporary graves for the Axis soldiers were on Height 33. In 1955, works commenced on the German and Italian memorials, and they were finished in 1959. Today El Alamein is a city of about 10,000 inhabitants, known for its oil fields and for war tourism.

Get around

Taxi is the best way to get to the memorials and cemeteries from central El Alamein.

Leukaspis can only be explored on foot and is not suitable for mobility impaired people.

Do

thumb|Yacht harbour of Marina el-Alamein Water sports in Mārīnā el-ʿAlamein is another draw to the region. Activities include water skiing, windsurfing and water scooter riding as well as slower activities like swimming and gondola tours. You can also play golf.

Given this is an upscale resort, there are interestingly no private beaches owned by hotels, but all beaches are open to everyone.

Buy

Mārīnā el-ʿAlamein is your best bet for shopping with small stores here and there. Also, there are some malls in New Alamein:

Eat

The memorials don't have restaurants or cafés, nor does the Leukaspis site - eat before or after visiting them. There are plenty of restaurants in the hotels of Marina el Alemein, some next to the coastal highway and still some in New Alamein.