Ancient Mariner

Alexandria, Egypt’s largest seaport, was accessible to Europeans by boarding a steamship in Marseilles operated by Messageries Maritimes. The PLM (Paris à Lyon et à la Méditerranée) Railway operating in France made the connection to the steamers. Alexandria was only a brief stop for most early 20th-century tourists: visitors were quick to board one of the many luxury trains and head south towards Cairo and the Nile.

Resplendent in his royal attire, a hieroglyph pharaoh spans the Mediterranean Sea, illustrating the popular train and boat route from France to Egypt.