Alexandria

Alexandria الإسكندرية Ἀλεξάνδρεια Ⲣⲁⲕⲟⲧⲉ
Modern Alexandria Modern Alexandria
Flag of Alexandria Flag
Nickname: Pearl of the Mediterranean
Alexandria on the map of Egypt
Coordinates: 31.198° N 29.9192° E
Country	Egypt
Founded	334 B.C.E.
Government
- Governor	Adel Labib
Population (2001)
- Total	3,500,000
Time zone	EET (UTC+2)
- Summer (DST)	EEST (UTC+3)
Twin Cities
- Baltimore	United States
- Cleveland	United States
- Constanţa	Romania
- Durban	South Africa
- Saint Petersburg	Russia
- Shanghai	China

Alexandria (in Greek, Ἀλεξάνδρεια; in Coptic, Ⲣⲁⲕⲟⲧⲉ Rakotə, in Arabic, الإسكندرية Al-Iskandariya, in Egyptian Arabic, اسكندريه Eskendereyya), with a population of 3.5 to 5 million, is the second-largest city in Egypt, and its largest seaport. It is home to the Bibliotheca Alexandrina, the New Library of Alexandria, and is an important industrial centre because of its natural gas and oil pipelines from Suez.

In ancient times, Alexandria was one of the most famous cities in the world. It was founded by Macedonian ruler Alexander the Great, and remained Egypt's capital for nearly a thousand years, until the Arabs conquered Egypt in 641 C.E. and set up a capital at Fustat (later absorbed into Cairo).

Alexandria was known for the Lighthouse of Alexandria (one of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World), the Library of Alexandria (the largest library in the ancient world) and the Catacombs of Kom el Shoqafa (one of the Seven Wonders of the Middle Ages). Ongoing maritime archaeology in the harbour of Alexandria (which began in 1994) is revealing details of Alexandria both before the arrival of Alexander, when a city named Rhakotis existed there, and during the Ptolemaic dynasty.

Geography

Alexandria from space, March 1990

Alexandria, named after its founder, Alexander the Great, extends about 20 miles (32km) along the coast of the Mediterranean sea in north-central Egypt, at the western edge of the Nile River delta, about 114 miles (183km) northwest of Cairo.

Modern Alexandria extends 25 miles (40km) east to west along a limestone ridge, 1–2 miles (1.6–3.2 km) wide, that separates the partly drained and cultivated salt lake of Maryut from the Egyptian mainland. An hourglass-shaped promontory formed by silting on a mole (the Heptastadion) built soon after Alexandria's founding, links the island of Pharos with the city centre on the mainland. Its two curving bays form the eastern and western harbours.

The prevailing north wind, blowing from the Mediterranean, means summers are relatively temperate, with the average temperature reaching 87°F (31°C)in August, the hottest month. Winters are cool, stormy, with torrential rain and hail. The temperature in January, the coldest month, is 64°F (18°C).

The city covers 116 square miles (300 square kilometers). The commercial centre is Sa'd Zaghlul Square, where the Cecil and Metropole hotels are located, and inland toward the railway station. Urban development spreads east, both inland and along the Corniche, a seaside promenade, which is a ribbon of beach huts, bathing clubs, and restaurants, with a wall of hotels and apartment blocks across the road.

Modern Alexandria is divided into six blocks: Montaza, population 943,100; Eastern Alexandria, population 933,600; Middle Alexandria, population 566,500; Amreya, population 457,800; Western Alexandria, population 450,300; and Gumrok, population 186,900.

History

Greek foundation

Bust of Alexander.

Alexandria, sphinx made of pink granite, Ptolemaic.

Alexandria was founded, possibly in 332 B.C.E., by Alexander the Great, king of Macedonia, who planned it to be the link between Greece and the rich Nile Valley. The site had abundant water from Lake Maryut, and good anchorage provided by the island of Pharos. An Egyptian townlet, Rhakotis, which had existed on the shore since 1500 B.C.E., was filled with fishermen and pirates. Alexander's chief architect for the project was Dinocrates.

A breakwater nearly one mile (1.6 km) long called the Heptastadium (“seven furlongs”) was built to the island of Pharos, enclosing a spacious harbour. A lighthouse, one of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World, was built on Pharos. Another smaller harbour was open to the west. A canal was built to join Lake Mareotis to the Canopic branch of the Nile.

A few months after its foundation, Alexander left Egypt for the East and never returned to his city. After Alexander departed, his viceroy, Cleomenes, continued the expansion of the city. Alexander died in 323 B.C.E., and control of the city passed to his viceroy, Ptolemy I Soter.

The Ptolemies built numerous palaces, founded the Alexandria Library, which had almost 500,000 volumes, the largest collection of books in the ancient world, and Museum. Influential schools of philosophy, rhetoric, and other branches of learning were established. Top thinkers residing there included geometer and number-theorist Euclid, as well as Archimedes, Plotinus the philosopher, and Ptolemy and Eratosthenes the geographers. In a century, Alexandria had become the largest city in the world and for some centuries more, was second only to Rome.

The city was also home to the largest Jewish community in the world and was a centre of Jewish learning. The Septuagint, a Greek translation of the Hebrew Bible, was produced there.

Roman-Byzantine period

File:The Roman Theatre in Alexandria.JPG

The ancient Roman Amphitheatre in Alexandria

The city passed formally under Roman jurisdiction in 80 B.C.E., according to the will of Ptolemy Alexander but only after it had been Roman influence for more than a hundred years. The last of the Ptolemies Cleopatra (69 B.C.E. – 30 B.C.E.) entered into a relationship with the growing Roman Empire, first in a relationship with with Gaius Julius Caesar , which produced a son, and, after Caesar's assassination, aligned with Mark Antony, with whom she produced twins, against Octavian, who was to become Emperor Augustus. Augustus brought Alexandria, which controlled the Egyptian granary upon which Rome depended, under Roman rule.

In 115 C.E. Alexandria was destroyed during the Jewish-Greek civil wars which gave Hadrian and his architect, Decriannus, an opportunity to rebuild it. In 215 C.E. the emperor Caracalla visited the city and, because of some insulting satires that the inhabitants had directed at him, abruptly commanded his troops to put to death all youths capable of bearing arms.

Mark, who wrote the second Gospel, is said to have preached in Alexandria. Several early Christian theologians, including Origen (c. 185–c.e. 254) were educated at Alexandria. The city’s Christian community continued to grow and resisted Rome's attempts to impose emperor worship. The city was the location of a the first doctrinal dispute between Alexandrian prelates, Athanasius and Arius, over the nature of the relationship between Jesus and God. The pope of Alexandria vied with the patriarch of Constantinople for ecclesiastical preeminence in the eastern Roman Empire. A break occurred at the Council of Chalcedon in 451, the Alexandrian pope Dioscorus was deposed.

In the late 4th century, persecution of pagans by newly Christian Romans had reached new levels of intensity. Temples and statues were destroyed throughout the Roman empire: pagan rituals became forbidden under punishment of death, and libraries were closed. In 391, Emperor Theodosius I ordered the destruction of all pagan temples, and the Patriarch Theophilus, complied with his request. One theory has it that the great Library of Alexandria and the Serapeum were destroyed about this time. The female mathematician and neoplatonist philosopher Hypatia was a prominent victim of the persecutions.

Alexandria fell first to Khosrau II, King of Persia. in 616. Although the Byzantine Emperor Heraclius recovered it a few years later, in 641 the Arabs, under the general Amr ibn al-As during the Muslim conquest of Egypt, captured it decisively after a siege that lasted fourteen months. In 645 a Byzantine fleet recaptured the city, but it fell for good the following year.

Islamic period

The Muslim Arab conquest led to an exodus of the leading elements of the Greek population. The new Arab capital at Al-Fustat (later part of the modern capital Cairo) eclipsed Alexandria, which continued to flourish as a trading centre, for textiles and luxury goods, as Arab influence expanded through North Africa and then into Europe. The city was an important naval base for the Fatimids and Mamluks.

Bubonic plague devastated the city in the mid-14th century. The Lighthouse was destroyed by earthquakes in the 14th century..The growth of the spice trade boosted Alexandria’s fortunes until the Portuguese discovered a sea route to India in 1498. After the Ottomans defeated the Mamluks in 1517, Egypt became a province within a wider empire. At that time, the canal linking Alexandria to the Nile was allowed to silt up, cutting the city's commercial lifeline. By the time Napoleon‘s French troops stormed the city on July 2, 1798, Alexandria was reduced to little more than a small fishing village.

Modern city evolves

Muhammad Ali Pasha

Alexandria remained under French control until the arrival of the British expedition in 1801. The British won a considerable victory over the French at the Battle of Alexandria on March 21, 1801, following which they besieged the city which fell to them on September 2, 1801.

Alexandria's rebirth began when Muhammad Ali Pasha was appointed Ottoman viceroy and pasha of Egypt in 1805. In a bid to expand his power, he reopened Alexandria's access to the Nile by building the 45-mile- (72km-) long canal, and built an arsenal to produce warships. He began rebuilding the city around 1810.

Cotton was introduced into Egypt in the 1820s, and trade with Europe helped make Alexandria rich. The city became an increasingly important banking and commercial centre, and by 1850, Alexandria had returned to something akin to its former glory.

The opening of the Cairo railway in 1856, the cotton boom that came with the American Civil War in the early 1860s, the opening of the Suez Canal in 1869, meant that Alexandria emerged as an export hub.

In July 1882, the city came under bombardment from British naval forces to put down a local nationalist revolt. This led to a British occupation that lasted until 1922.

A self-governing municipality, founded in 1890, created the Greco-Roman Museum, constructed a public library, improved the street and sewage systems, and reclaimed land from the sea, upon which the waterfront Corniche was later laid out.

Alexandria was the chief Allied naval base of the eastern Mediterranean during World War I, and came close to being captured by Axis armies in World War II. Negotiations on the founding of the Arab League took place in the city in 1944. British forces left the city in 1946. The city was the point of departure for King Farouk, in 1952 after he was deposed in the revolution led by the Alexandria-born Gamel Abdel Nasser.

In July 1954, the city was a target of an Israeli bombing campaign that later became known as the Lavon Affair. Only a few months later, Alexandria's Manshia Square was the site of the famous, failed assassination attempt on the life of Gamal Abdel Nasser.

Nasser nationalized the Suez Canal in 1956. The failure of attack on Egypt by British, French, and Israeli forces led to the seizure of French and British assets. Laws requiring the Egyptianization of foreign-owned banks, firms, and insurance companies led to the departure of thousands of foreign residents.

Nasser's industrialization program in the 1960s benefited Alexandria’s food-processing and textile-manufacturing industries. The Six-Day War, in June 1967, closed the Suez Canal and disrupted trade, adversely affecting Alexandria.

The discovery in 1976 of natural gas reserves offshore and in the Nile delta spurred industrial development. Al-Dukhaylah became a major iron and steel centre. Refineries were upgraded, a crude-oil pipeline from the city of Suez to the Mediterranean near Alexandria was completed in the late 1970s. Another pipeline linked Musturud (north of Cairo) with Alexandria.

Administration

Alexandria is a governarate in the Arab Republic of Egypt. Since the 1952 revolution, the president of the republic appoints the governor, who is assisted by an elected local council. The governorate is responsible to the Ministry of Local Affairs. There are also two cities under the jurisdiction of the Alexandria governarate: Borg Al-Arab city, with a population 186,900, and New Borg Al-Arab city, with a population of 7600.

Economy

Overview – Any specialization: For instance, is a manufactured product is associated with particular cities

Per capita GDP, rank Financial and business services sector Tourism Manufacturing Transport: Road, rail, air, sea

The yellow tram, a taxi and a minibus in "Saad Zaghloul square," Alexandria.

File:SrassenbahnNetzplanAlexandria1996.png

Alexandria tramway routes

Alexandria is served by the nearby Al Nozha Airport, located 7km to the southeast, and the Borg al Arab Airport located about 25km away from city center.

Highways include: the International coastal road. (Alexandria - Port Said), the Desert road. (Alexandria - Cairo /220 km 4-lanes, mostly lit), the Agricultural road. (Alexandria - Cairo), the Circular road. the turnpike, and the Ta'ameer Road "Mehwar El-Ta'ameer" - (Alexandria - North Coast)

Train stations include:

• Misr Station (the main station)
• Sidi Gaber Station

An extensive tramway network built in 1860 and is the oldest in Africa. A single ticket costs 25 Egyptian piastres (2007). The tram network is divided into two parts joined in the "Raml Station." Trams working east of the "Raml Station" are painted blue and usually known as "Tram Al-Raml." The ones operating to the west of "Raml station" are painted yellow and is a little smaller with a single tram working on both routes.

Trams are the slowest means of transport in Alexandria but are convenient for short trips, 2-3 stations. If you are a sightseer with time to spare it is the cheapest way to see most of Alexandria.

Taxis are a main means of public transportation in Alexandria. Taxis are painted black and yellow. Fare usually starts from 2 Egyptian pounds (2007). All taxis are required by law to have a meter but almost none is actually used since the fares have not changed in a very long time to keep up with inflation. Exactly what amount to charge a taxi is not exactly known and is left to the customers to estimate how much the trip is worth (like all other cities in Egypt, including Cairo) but most Alexandrians who use taxis usually know from experience what every trip costs. This creates a problem for travelers and tourists who are usually over-billed for their trips. Tourists are always advised to ask for how much they should pay for a taxi before hailing one.

Other means of public transportation include Buses and Minibuses.

Alexandria Port is divided into the Eastern Harbor, and the Western Harbor

Layout of the ancient city

The Greek Alexandria was divided into three regions:

Brucheum

the Royal or Greek quarter, forming the most magnificent portion of the city. In Roman times Brucheum was enlarged by the addition of an official quarter, making up four regions in all. The city was laid out as a grid of parallel streets, each of which had an attendant subterranean canal;

The Jews' quarter

forming the northeast portion of the city;

Rhakotis

occupied chiefly by Egyptians (from Coptic Rakotə "Alexandria").

Two main streets, lined with colonnades and said to have been each about 60 metres (200 feet) wide, intersected in the centre of the city, close to the point where the Sema (or Soma) of Alexander (his Mausoleum) rose. This point is very near the present mosque of Nebi Daniel; and the line of the great East–West "Canopic" street, only slightly diverged from that of the modern Boulevard de Rosette. Traces of its pavement and canal have been found near the Rosetta Gate, but better remnants of streets and canals were exposed in 1899 by German excavators outside the east fortifications, which lie well within the area of the ancient city.

File:DSC00996.JPG

The Eastern Harbor of Alexandria

Alexandria consisted originally of little more than the island of Pharos, which was joined to the mainland by a mole nearly a mile long (1260 m) and called the Heptastadion ("seven stadia" — a stadium was a Greek unit of length measuring approximately 180 m). The end of this abutted on the land at the head of the present Grand Square, where the "Moon Gate" rose. All that now lies between that point and the modern "Ras Al Teen" quarter is built on the silt which gradually widened and obliterated this mole. The "Ras Al Teen" quarter represents all that is left of the island of Pharos, the site of the actual lighthouse having been weathered away by the sea. On the east of the mole was the Great Harbour, now an open bay; on the west lay the port of Eunostos, with its inner basin Kibotos, now vastly enlarged to form the modern harbour.

In Strabo's time, (latter half of 1st century B.C.E.) the principal buildings were as follows, enumerated as they were to be seen from a ship entering the Great Harbour.

1. The Royal Palaces, filling the northeast angle of the town and occupying the promontory of Lochias, which shut in the Great Harbour on the east. Lochias (the modern Pharillon) has almost entirely disappeared into the sea, together with the palaces, the "Private Port" and the island of Antirrhodus. There has been a land subsidence here, as throughout the northeast coast of Africa.
2. The Great Theatre, on the modern Hospital Hill near the Ramleh station. This was used by Caesar as a fortress, where he withstood a siege from the city mob after the battle of Pharsalus
3. The Poseidon, or Temple of the Sea God, close to the Theatre
4. The Timonium built by Mark Antony
5. The Emporium (Exchange)
6. The Apostases (Magazines)
7. The Navalia (Docks), lying west of the Timonium, along the sea-front as far as the mole
8. Behind the Emporium rose the Great Caesareum, by which stood the two great obelisks, each of which become known as “Cleopatra's Needle,” and were transported to New York City and London. This temple became, in time, the Patriarchal Church, though some ancient remains of the temple have been discovered. The actual Caesareum, the parts not eroded by the waves, lies under the houses lining the new sea-wall.
9. The Gymnasium and the Palaestra are both inland, near the Boulevard de Rosette in the eastern half of the town; sites unknown.
10. The Temple of Saturn; site unknown.
11. The Mausolea of Alexander (Soma) and the Ptolemies in one ring-fence, near the point of intersection of the two main streets
12. The Musaeum with its famous Library and theatre in the same region; site unknown.
13. The Serapeum, the most famous of all Alexandrian temples. Strabo tells us that this stood in the west of the city; and recent discoveries go far as to place it near “Pompey's Pillar” which was an independent monument erected to commemorate Diocletian's siege of the city.

The names of a few other public buildings on the mainland are known, but there is little information as to their actual position. None, however, are as famous as the building that stood on the eastern point of Pharos island. There, the The Great Lighthouse, one of the Seven Wonders of the World, reputed to be 138 meters (450 ft) high, was sited. The first Ptolemy began the project, and the second Ptolemy completed it, at a total cost of 800 talents. It took 12 years to complete and served as a prototype for all later lighthouses in the world. The light was produced by a furnace at the top and the tower was built mostly with solid blocks of limestone. The Pharos lighthouse was destroyed by an earthquake in the 14th century, making it the second longest surviving ancient wonder next to the Great Pyramid of Giza. A temple of Hephaestus also stood on Pharos at the head of the mole.

In the first century, the population of Alexandria contained over 180,000 adult male citizens (from a papyrus dated 32 CE), in addition to a large number of freedmen, women, children and slaves. Estimates of the total population range from 500,000 to over 1,000,000, making it one of the largest cities ever built before the Industrial Revolution and the largest pre-industrial city that was not an imperial capital.

Ancient remains

Citadel of Qaitbay, built in 1477

Very little of the ancient city has survived into the present day. Much of the royal and civic quarters sank beneath the harbour due to earthquake subsidence, and the rest has been rebuilt upon in modern times.

"Pompey's Pillar" is the most well-known ancient monument still standing today. It is located on Alexandria's ancient acropolis — a modest hill located adjacent to the city's Arab cemetery — and was originally part of a temple colonnade. Including its pedestal, it is 30 m (99 ft) high; the shaft is of polished red granite, roughly three meters in diameter at the base, tapering to two and a half meters at the top. The structure was plundered and demolished in the 4th century when a bishop decreed that Paganism must be eradicated. "Pompey's Pillar" is a misnomer, as it has nothing to do with Pompey, having been erected in 293 for Diocletian, possibly in memory of the rebellion of Domitius Domitianus. Beneath the acropolis itself are the subterranean remains of the Serapeum, where the mysteries of the god Serapis were enacted, and whose carved wall niches are believed to have provided overflow storage space for the ancient Library.

Pompey's Pillar

Alexandria's catacombs, known as Kom al Sukkfa, are a short distance southwest of the pillar, consist of a multi-level labyrinth, reached via a large spiral staircase, and featuring dozens of chambers adorned with sculpted pillars, statues, and other syncretic Romano-Egyptian religious symbols, burial niches and sarcophagi, as well as a large Roman-style banquet room, where memorial meals were conducted by relatives of the deceased. The catacombs were long forgotten by the citizens until they were discovered by accident in the 1800s.

The most extensive ancient excavation currently being conducted in Alexandria is known as Kom al Dikka, and it has revealed the ancient city's well-preserved theatre, and the remains of its Roman-era baths.

Antiquities

Persistent efforts have been made to explore the antiquities of Alexandria. Encouragement and help have been given by the local Archaeological Society, and by many individuals, notably Greeks proud of a city which is one of the glories of their national history.

The past and present directors of the museum have been enabled from time to time to carry out systematic excavations whenever opportunity is offered; D. G. Hogarth made tentative researches on behalf of the Egypt Exploration Fund and the Society for the Promotion of Hellenic Studies in 1895; and a German expedition worked for two years (1898–1899). But two difficulties face the would-be excavator in Alexandria: lack of space for excavation and the underwater location of some areas of interest.

Since the great and growing modern city stands right over the ancient one, it is almost impossible to find any considerable space in which to dig, except at enormous cost. Also, the general subsidence of the coast has sunk the lower-lying parts of the ancient town under water. This underwater section, containing much of the most interesting sections of the Hellenistic city, including the palace-quarter, is still being extensively investigated by the French underwater archaeologist Franck Goddio and his team [1] and [2]. It raised a noted head of Caesarion. These are even being opened up to tourists, to some controversy [3].

The spaces however, that are most open are the low grounds to northeast and southwest, where it is practically impossible to get below the Roman strata.

The most important results were those achieved by Dr. G. Botti, late director of the museum, in the neighbourhood of “Pompey's Pillar,” where there is a good deal of open ground. Here substructures of a large building or group of buildings have been exposed, which are perhaps part of the Serapeum. Nearby immense catacombs and columbaria have been opened which may have been appendages of the temple. These contain one very remarkable vault with curious painted reliefs, now lighted by electricity and shown to visitors.

The objects found in these researches are in the museum, the most notable being a great basalt bull, probably once an object of cult in the Serapeum. Other catacombs and tombs have been opened in Kom el-Shuqafa (Roman) and Ras et-Tin (painted).

The German excavation team found remains of a Ptolemaic colonnade and streets in the north-east of the city, but little else. Hogarth explored part of an immense brick structure under the mound of Kom el-Dika, which may have been part of the Paneum, the Mausolea or a Roman fortress.

The making of the new foreshore led to the dredging up of remains of the Patriarchal Church; and the foundations of modern buildings are seldom laid without some objects of antiquity being discovered. The wealth underground is doubtlessly immense; but despite all efforts, there is not much for antiquarians to see in Alexandria outside the museum and the neighbourhood of “Pompey's Pillar.” The native tomb-robbers, well-sinkers, dredgers and the like, however, come upon valuable objects from time to time, most of which find their way into private collections.

Palaces

• Montaza Palace, in Montaza
• Ras el-Tin Palace, in Ras el-Tin
• Presidential Palace, in Maamoura

Educational institutions

File:College saint marc.jpg

Collège Saint Marc

File:ISJA.jpg

Institution Sainte Jeanne-Antide

• Sacred Heart Girls' School (SHS) - Roushdy
• Abbas Helmy High School
• Alexandria Institute of Technology (AIT)
• Alexandria Language School (ALS)
• Alexandria University
• Faculty of Engineering, Alexandria University

• Front View.jpg

  Faculty of Engineering, Alexandria University, front view

• Faculty of Engineering, Alexandria University.jpg

  Faculty of Engineering, Alexandria University

• EED.jpg

  Faculty of Engineering, Alexandria University,EED

• Arab Academy for Science and Technology and Maritime Transport
• High Institute For Computers & Information Systems - HICIS Abo Qir
• Al-Madina Al-Monawara High School
• Al-Ramml High School
• British School of Alexandria
• Collège Saint Marc
• Deutsche Schule der Borromärinnen DSB A "Saint Charles Borromé"
• Don Bosco
• Ecole Champollion
• Ecole Gérard
• Ecole Saint Gabriel
• Collège de la Mère de Dieu
• Ecole Saint-Vincent de Paul
• Ecole Sainte Catherine
• Zahran Language School (Z.L.S)

• Zahran Boys School Building.jpg

  Zahran_Boys_School_Building

• Zahran Girls School Building.jpg

  Zahran_Girls_School_Building

• Zahran Primary School Building.jpg

  Zahran_Primary_School_Building

"Zahran Language Schools, Smouha, Alexandria, Egypt"

• Egyptian American School
• Egypt Modern School
• El Nasr Boys' School
• El Nasr Girls' College
• Gamal Abdel Naser High School
• Institution Sainte Jeanne-Antide
• Janaklees National School (JNS)
• Lycée La Liberté
• Mubarak Technologichal School (MTS)
• Modern American School
• Riada Language School (RLS)http://ragabgroup.com/rls/index.html
• Schutz American School
• Taymour English School (TES)
• Université Senghor
• Victoria College
• Sidi Gaber Language School {SLS}

Libraries

The Bibliotheca Alexandrina, a modern project based on reviving the ancient Library of Alexandria.

The Royal Library of Alexandria in Alexandria, Egypt, was once the largest library in the world. It is generally thought to have been founded at the beginning of the 3rd century B.C.E., during the reign of Ptolemy II of Egypt. It was likely created after his father had built what would become the first part of the Library complex, the temple of the Muses — the Museion, Greek Μουσείον (from which the modern English word museum is derived).

It has been reasonably established that the Library, or parts of the collection, were destroyed by fire on a number of occasions (library fires were common and replacement of handwritten manuscripts was very difficult, expensive and time-consuming). To this day the details of the destruction (or destructions) remain a lively source of controversy. The Bibliotheca Alexandrina was inaugurated in 2003 near the site of the old Library.

Museums

• Alexandria Aquarium
• The Graeco-Roman Museum
• The Royal Jewelry Museum
• The Museum of Fine Arts
• The Cavafy museum (see Constantine P. Cavafy)

Gardens, parks, and zoos

Facade of the Montaza Palace

• Montaza Royal Gardens
• Antoniades park
• Shallalat Gardens
• Alexandria Zoo
• Green Plaza
• Fantasy Land
• Maamoura Beach, Alexandria
• Marina Village

Catacombs

• Catacombs of Kom al-Shuqafa

Churches

• Saint Alexander Nevsky Church (Russian Orthodox Rite)
• Saint Anargyri Church (Greek Orthodox Rite)
• Church of the Annunciation (Greek Orthodox Rite)
• Saint Anthony Church (Greek Orthodox Rite)
• Archangels Gabriel and Michael Church (Greek Orthodox Rite)
• Saint Catherine Church (Greek Orthodox Rite)
• Saint Catherine Church (Latin Catholic Rite)
• Pope Cyril I Church, in Cleopatra (Coptic Orthodox Rite)
• Cathedral of the Dormition, in Mansheya (Greek Catholic Rite)
• Church of the Dormition (Greek Orthodox Rite)
• Prophet Elijah Church (Greek Orthodox Rite)
• Saint Georges Church, in Sporting (Coptic Orthodox Rite)
• Saint Georges Church (Greek Orthodox Rite)
• Church of the Immaculate Conception, in Ibrahemeya (Greek Catholic Rite)
• Church of the Jesuits, in Cleopatra (Latin Catholic Rite)
• Saint Joseph Church, in Fleming (Greek Catholic Rite)
• Saint Joseph of Arimathea Church (Greek Orthodox Rite)
• Saint Mark Cathedral , in Ramleh (Coptic Orthodox Rite)
• Saint Mark Church, in Shatby (Latin Catholic, Coptic Catholic and Coptic Orthodox Rites)
• Saint Mark & Saint Nectarios Chapel, in Ramleh (Greek Orthodox Rite)
• Saint Mark & Pope Peter I Church (Coptic Orthodox Rite)
• Saint Mary Church, in Assafra (Coptic Orthodox Rite)
• Saint Mary Church, in Gianaclis (Coptic Orthodox Rite)
• Saint Mina Church, in Fleming (Coptic Orthodox Rite)
• Saint Mina Church, in Mandara (Coptic Orthodox Rite)
• Saint Nicholas Church (Greek Orthodox Rite)
• Saint Paraskevi Church (Greek Orthodox Rite)
• Saint Sava Cathedral, in Ramleh (Greek Orthodox Rite)
• Saint Tekle Haymanot Church (Coptic Orthodox Rite)
• Saint Theodore Chapel (Greek Orthodox Rite)

Mosques

• Ali ibn Abi Talib Mosque, in Somouha
• Bilal Mosque
• El-Gamee el-Bahari, in Mandara
• Hatem Mosque, in Somouha
• Hoda el-Islam Mosque, in Sidi Bishr
• Abu el-Abbas el-Mursi Mosque, in Anfoushi
• El-Mowasah Mosque, in Hadara
• Sharq el-Madina Mosque, in Miami
• El-Shohadaa Mosque, in Mostafa Kamel
• Qaed Ibrahim Mosque
• Yehia Mosque, in Zizinya
• Sidi Beshr Mosque, in Sidi Beshr
• Sidi Gaber Mosque, in Sidi Gaber
• Asr El Islam Mosque, In Sidi Gaber
• El Qabany Mosque, In Fleming
• Abo El Nor Mosque, In Bakos
• El Manara Mosque, In Shaby
• Ansar EL Haq Mosque, In Sidi Beshr
• EL Sayda Amna Mosque, In Sidi Gaber
• El Sadaka Mosque, In Sidi Beshr
• Tag EL Ser Mosque, Victoria
• EL Fath Mosque, Semouha

Synagogues

• Eliyahu Hanavi Synagogue

Sightseeing

Demolished monuments

• The Lighthouse of Alexandria was one of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World.

Existing monuments

• The Roman Amphitheatre

'* Pompey's Pillar

Citadels

• Citadel of Qaitbay

Famous spots

• Bir Massoud, Miami
• The Unknown Soldier, Ahmed Orabi Square in Mansheya
• El Montaza Royal Gardens
• Maamoura Beach

Culture

"Iskindireyya"

This is a list of all words related to the word "Alexandria" in Arabic:

• "al-Iskandareyya(h)" (الإسكندرية) (noun) (formal): Refers to the city of "Alexandria." Used in formal texts and speech. Its slang/informal equivalent is "Iskindireyya(h)." "Iskandareyya(h)" and "Iskindireyya(h)" are different in pronunciation and when written in English, though they have the same spelling when written in Arabic. You can never hear only "Iskandareyya(h)" without "al-," or "Iskindireyya(h)" with "al-" or "el-" ("el-" is the informal equivalent of "al-"). The optional "h" at the end of both of them is called a "ta' marbuta" which can be unpronounced in spoken Arabic, but must exist in written texts. So you can say both "Iskindireyya" or "Iskindireyyah," but as it is transliteration from "spoken Arabic" then "Iskindireyya" would sound more correct.

• "Alex" (noun): Natives of both Alexandria and Cairo playfully refer to "Alexandria" by only "Alex," especially in informal English texts. In an English conversation between two Egyptians (whether Alexandrians or Cairenes), you would usually hear "I'm going to Alex tomorrow." instead of "I'm going to Alexandria tomorrow."

• "Sakandari" (سكندري) (adjective): Means "Alexandrian" or "from Alexandria." You have to be a native of Alexandria to be called "sakandari." The slang equivalent is "iskandaraani."

Sports

File:DSC01990.JPG

A group of cyclists in Alexandria

The main sport that interests Alexandrians is soccer, as is the case in all Egypt and Northern Africa. Alexandria was one of three cities that participated in hosting the African Cup of Nations in January 2006, which Egypt won. Sea sports such as surfing, jet-skiing and water polo are practised on a lower scale.

Alexandria has four stadiums:

• Borg El Arab Stadium
• Harras El-Hedoud Stadium
• Alexandria Stadium
• El-Krom Stadium

Other less popular sports like tennis and squash are usually played in private social and sports clubs, like:

• Alexandria Sporting Club - in "Sporting"
• Alexandria Country club and other places
• El Etehad Club
• El Olympy Club
• Lagoon Resort Courts
• Smouha Club - in "Smouha"

Writings

Novels

• Academic Year (1955, set in late 1940s) by D.J. Enright.
• The Alexandria Quartet (1957-60, set in 1930s) by Lawrence Durrell.
• The Bat (part of the Drifting Cities trilogy) (1965, set in 1943-44) by Stratis Tsirkas.
• The Danger Tree (1977, set in 1942, partly in Alexandria) by Olivia Manning.
• The Beacon at Alexandria (1986, set in 4th century) by Gillian Bradshaw.
• City of Saffron (tr. 1989, set in 1930s) by Edwar Al-Kharrat.
• Girls of Alexandria (tr. 1993, set in 1930s and '40s) by Edwar Al-Kharrat.
• No One Sleeps in Alexandria (1996, set during World War II) by Ibrahim Abdel Meguid.
• Miramar (1967) by Naguib Mahfouz.

History

• Alexandria: a history and a guide (1922; numerous reprints) by E.M. Forster.
• Alexandria: City of Memory (Yale University Press, 2004) by Michael Haag.

Memoir

• Out of Egypt (1994; describes family history in Alexandria) by André Aciman.

Songs

• Songs in French:
  • Alexandrie by Georges Moustaki.
  • Alexandrie, Alexandra by Claude François.
• Songs in Greek:
  • Alexandrinos by Yannis Kotsiras.
• Songs in Arabic:
  • Shat Eskendereya by Fairouz.
  • Ahsan Nas by Dalida (remade by various artists).
  • Leil Eskendereya by Moustafa Amar.
  • Ya Wad Ya Eskandarany by Moustafa Amar.
  • Ya Eskendereya by Mohamed Mounir (lyrics by Ahmed Fouad Negm).

Tourism

Alexandria is considered a main summer resort in the Middle East, visited by people from all the other cities to enjoy the sun and sea there. Beaches become full of umbrellas and families and the city is usually crowded in summer.

Beaches of Alexandria are famous of having lots of cafeterias and umbrellas. There are both public beaches (which anyone can use for free, and are usually crowded) and private beaches (which can be used upon paying a small fee). There are also private beaches that are dedicated only to the guests of some hotels.

Shopping

Shopping malls in Alexandria:

• Carrefour City Center
• Deeb Mall
• Family Mall
• Fathalla Supermarkets
• Green Plaza
• Imperial Mall: said to be not successful and to be closed soon.
• Kirosez Mall
• Metro Supermarkets
• Mina Mall
• San Stefano Grand Plaza Mall
• Wataniyya Mall
• Zahran Mall: a large complex that has a number of cinemas.
• Maamoura Plaza Mall

Notable People

• Hypatia (4th-5th century B.C.E.) Greek philosopher
• Alypius (4th century B.C.E.) Greek writer on music
• Arius (4th century) Catholic bishop who sparked the Arian controversy
• Cosmas Indicopleustes (6th century) Greek monk, geographer and writer
• Constantine P. Cavafy (1863-1933) Greek poet
• Antonis Benakis (1873-1954) Greek art collector
• Penelope Delta (1874-1941) Greek author
• Konstantinos Parthenis (1878-1967) Greek painter
• Jean Desses (1904-1970) Greek fashion designer
• Alkistis Protopsalti (Greek singer)
• Amr Khaled (Muslim preacher)
• André Aciman (American writer)
• Pope Athanasius the Apostolic (Champion of Christianity)
• Demis Roussos (Greek singer)
• Eric Hobsbawm (British historian)
• Emad Wagih (Coptic)
• Cleopatra VII (Egyptian Ruler)
• Princess Fawzia (Egyptian princess)
• Filippo Tommaso Marinetti (Italian poet and artist)
• Gamal Abdel Nasser (Egyptian President)
• Georges Moustaki (Greek-French singer and composer)
• Gideon Gechtman (Israeli sculptor)
• Giuseppe Ungaretti (Italian poet)
• Haim Saban (American billionaire)
• Hend Rostom (Egyptian actress)
• Mohamed Al-Fayed (Egyptian businessman)
• Moustafa Amar (Egyptian singer)
• MTM (Egyptian music band)
• Omar Sharif (Egyptian actor)
• Rudolf Hess (German deputy fuhrer of the Nazi Party)
• Sayed Darwish (Egyptian music composer)
• Tawfiq al-Hakeem (Egyptian writer)
• Youssef Chahine (Egyptian film director)
• Nazir Tanbouli (Alexandrian; Egyptian-born UK artist)
• Beram Eltunsy (Egyptian poet)
• Shoukry Sarhan (Egyptian Actor)
• Farouq Hosny (Egyptian Minister of Culture)
• Ahmed Nazif (Egyptian Prime Minister)

Gallery

• Panorama Alexandria.JPG

  A panoramic view of modern Alexandria

• Alexandria 12-9-2005 3.JPG

  Alexandria at night

• Image-DSC00289.JPG

  Modern Alexandria, from "Citadel of Qaitbay"

• Alexandria 2122972.jpg

  Skyline from the corniche

• Alexandria 2122988.jpg

  Planetarium by Bibliotheca Alexandrina

• Alexandia 2122995.jpg

  Bibliotheca Alexandrina & reflecting pool

• Alexandria 2123021.jpg

  Alexandria beach

• Alexandria 2123028.jpg

  Citadel of Qaitbay

• 

  Saad Zaghloul street in downtown Alexandria

• Alexandria 2133187.jpg

  Crossroad of Saad Zaghloul and Safeya Zaghloul streets at sunset

• Qaitbay citadel Alexandria.JPG

  ceiling of Citadel of Qaitbay

See also

• Alexandria Governorate
• Governorates of Egypt

References

ISBN links support NWE through referral fees

• Haag, Michael. 2004. Alexandria city of memory. New Haven, Conn: Yale University Press. ISBN 0300104154
• Victor W. Von Hagen. The Roads that led to Rome The World publishing Company, Cleveland and New York. 1967.

External links

All links retrieved December 11, 2007.

Official website

• Official website
• Expatriates in Alexandria

Read more about Alexandria

• British Council's Lawrence Durrell Celebration in Alexandria
• Read more and see photo galleries about Alexandria (English)
• Richard Stillwell, ed. Princeton Encyclopedia of Classical Sites, 1976: “Alexandria, Egypt”
• Landmarks in Alexandria (English)

Maps of Alexandria

• Maps and aerial photos
  • Mapping from Multimap or GlobalGuide or Google Maps
  • Satellite image from WikiMapia
  • Mapping from OpenStreetMap

Preceded by: Sais	Capital of Egypt 331 B.C.E. - 641 C.E.	Succeeded by: Fustat
Preceded by: Madrid	World Book Capital 2002	Succeeded by: New Delhi
Preceded by: Taipei	Wikimania host city 2008	Succeeded by: TBD

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