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Alexander the Great

This travel topic attempts to highlight all the surviving attractions, cities, and artifacts related to Alexander the Great and his travels. The attractions are organized chronologically based on the route of his campaigns. The locations are listed by their modern name (with ancient name in parentheses where appropriate).

This guide is organized as a travel topic instead of as an itinerary because to pursue the entire route of Alexander's journeys is unrealistically ambitious for the vast majority of people. This guide focuses on the points of interest instead of the logistics between points. It might best be used as a reference of destinations to plan a trip around, or points to seek out that may be near your travels. See the Istanbul to Delhi by land itinerary for a point to point guide over a similar path.

Understand

(This summary is intentionally brief and not intended to be historically comprehensive.)

Alexander the Great is a historically controversial figure whose travels are legendary. He set out East from Macedonia to conquer the known world and find a route to the rumored Outer Sea (which he believed was just beyond India, but is in fact the Pacific Ocean beyond China). He ended up traveling beyond the limits of the world known to the West and conquered more land than any empire before him. He is revered as a man before his time who respected ancient cultures and embraced foreign customs. He is simultaneously despised as the "two-horned one" who possessed limitless blood lust and zero compassion. The true nature of his character will remain debatable, but his lasting impact on the world is unmistakable. For better or worse, the world was changed by Alexander, and what follows is an exhaustive list of the artifacts that remain in direct testimony to one of history's most enigmatic figures.

Greece

Pella

Alexander's birthplace and the capital of his Macedonian Kingdom.

Egypt

Siwa

Dramatic, out-of-the-way location of the Oracle at Siwa who declared to Alexander that he was indeed the Son of Zeus.

Iraq

Babylon

The ancient capital of the Persian Empire and de facto capital of Alexander's expanding empire. Also the site of his death.

Gaugamela

The site of perhaps Alexander's most famous battle, where he defeated King Darius with a vastly outnumbered army and became King of all Asia.