Nothing remains of the Temple of Augustus. Founded by
Cleopatra in honor of Mark Antony, it may well be in this
temple that Cleopatra committed suicide in 30 BC. The
temple stood near the shore at the center of the great
harbor. It was a lavish temple with porticoes, propylalea,
parks and libraries. The temple was rededicated to Caesar
Augustus, Mark Antonio's conqueror.
With the adoption of Christianity, it became the
Cathedral of Alexandria in the 4th century AD. It was
destroyed in 912 AD. In front of the temple stood two red
granite obelisks called "Cleopatra's Needles",
though they bear the names of Tuthmosis III, Seti I and
Ramesses II. The obelisks were brought to Alexandria from
Heliopolis by the Romans 20 years after Cleopatra's death.
These giant Obelisks stayed still facing the old Harbor
until 1877, when the British forces took them and shipped
them away. One was removed to the Thames Embankment in
London, and the other was taken to New York where it
stands in Central Park. The statue of a great Alexandrine
Nationalist called Saad Zaghloul is standing in the same
location where Caesareum used to be. The statue is
surrounded with a park which is considered to be one of
the busiest squares in Alexandria.