El Alamein:
It is a village, bypassed by the main coast road, located approximately 130 kilometers west of Alexandria and on the road to Mersa Matruh. The first Commission direction road-sign is located just beyond the ElAlmein police checkpoint at which visitors should turn from the main road and onto the parallel old coast road. The famous El Alamein cemetery lies off the road, slightly beyond a ridge. The way is indicated by road signs approximately 25 meters before the low metal gates and stone wing walls situated centrally at the road edge. The Cross of Sacrifice feature can be seen from the road.

Location of El Alamein area

El Alamein is most notable as the place where the Allied forces of WW II gained a decisive victory over the Axis forces. Today, El Alamein village is located about 66 miles east of Alexandria serving mostly as a port for oil exports. However, it was once described by Churchill as having the best climate in the world. A war museum with many historically significant pieces from the Battle of El Alamein and other North African battles, crowns the area. There is also an Italian and German military cemeteries on Tell el-Eisa Hill, just outside of town.

World War II cemetery

The military museum of El Alamein was established by the Egyptian Government in 1965, then restored and reopened in 1992, on the occasion of the fiftieth anniversary of the battle of El Alamein. Germany, Britain and Italy have all provided the museum with new information and exhibits. A modern room to show Egypt’s role in this battle was also recently added. El Alamein Museum offers a comprehensive illustration of the story of World War II in North Africa, complete with records of all major events. Long before entering the museum’s main building, a sample collection of WW2 weaponry such as armored vehicles, tanks and guns are put on display in the garden. A visitor can actually get inside, and very close to, some of these WWII machines. The garden contains about fifteen large pieces that were used by the two fighting parties in the Battle of El Alamein.