What route would 1st century BCE travellers have taken from Alexandria to Jerusalem?

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Accepted answer

There were two great trade routes in the Ancient Near East, known today as the King's Highway and the Via Maris. The former cuts across the Sinai to Aqaba before turning north to Damascus, while the latter follows the coastal plains from Egypt to Antioch before linking up with the King's Highway.

Jerusalem did not lie directly on either international route, but the city is served by several regional east-west paths that linked into the greater network. Most likely, an overland travellers from Alexandria would have followed the Via Maris up to Gaza or Jaffa, where the Lachish Road and the Bethoron Ascent, respectively, leads to Jerusalem.

Alternatively, travellers could take a ship from Alexandria to Gaza or Jaffa, then made the last leg of the trip to Jerusalem as above. All three were ports that conducted significant maritime trade.

Less plausibly, a traveller could take the King's Highway to Rabbah, then follow the Red Descent to Jerusalem.

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(Wikipedia map of the ancient trade routes)

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