Alexandria

This article is about the city in Egypt. For other uses, see Alexandria (disambiguation).

Alexandria الإسكندرية Ἀλεξάνδρεια Ⲣⲁⲕⲟⲧⲉ
Modern Alexandria Modern Alexandria
Flag of Alexandria Flag
Nickname:  Pearl of the Mediterranean
Alexandria on the map of Egypt Alexandria on the map of Egypt
Country	Egypt
Founded	334 BC
Government
• Governor	Adel Labib
Population  (2001)
• Total	3,500,000
Time zone	UTC+2 (EET)
• Summer (DST)	UTC+3 (EEST)

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.

Alexandria extends about 20 miles (32 km) along the coast of the Mediterranean sea in north-central Egypt. 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 around 331 BC by Macedonian ruler Alexander the Great, who was also in his Persian Campaign, and remained Egypt's capital for nearly a thousand years, until the Arabs conquered Egypt in 641 AD 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.

History

The city of Alexandria was dumb

A panoramic view of Alexandria harbor from "Alexandria Shooting Club"

Foundation

Alexandria was founded by Alexander the Great in 332 BC (the exact date is disputed) as Ἀλεξάνδρεια (Aleksándreia). Alexander's chief architect for the project was Dinocrates. Ancient accounts are extremely numerous and varied, and much influenced by subsequent developments. One of the more sober descriptions, given by the historian Arrian, tells how Alexander undertook to lay out the city's general plan, but lacking chalk or other means, resorted to sketching it out with grain.

A number of more fanciful foundation myths are found in the Alexander Romance and were picked up by medieval Arab historians. The 14th century Arab historian Ibn Khaldun ridiculed one where sea-monsters prevented the city's foundation, but were thwarted when Alexander descended below the sea in a glass box, and armed with exact knowledge of their appearance, goes on to erect metal effigies on the beach which succeed in frightening the monsters away.

Alexandria was intended to supersede Naucratis as a Hellenistic center in Egypt, and to be the link between Greece and the rich Nile Valley. If such a city was to be on the Egyptian coast, there was only one possible site, behind the screen of the Pharos island and removed from the silt thrown out by the Nile. An Egyptian townlet, Rhakotis, already existed on the shore and was a resort filled with fishermen and pirates. Behind it were five native villages scattered along the strip between Lake Mareotis and the sea, so told according to a history of Alexander attributed to the author known as Pseudo-Callisthenes.

A few months after the 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.

Ptolemaic Era

Alexandria, sphinx made of pink granite, Ptolemaic.

In a struggle with the other successors of Alexander, his general, Ptolemy (later Ptolemy I of Egypt) succeeded in bringing Alexander's body to Alexandria, where it became a famous tourist destination for ancient travelers (including Julius Caesar).

Though Cleomenes was mainly in charge of seeing to Alexandria's continuous development, the Heptastadion and the main-land quarters seem to have been mainly Ptolemaic work. Inheriting the trade of ruined Tyre and becoming the center of the new commerce between Europe and the Arabian and Indian East, the city grew in less than a generation to be larger than Carthage. In a century, Alexandria had become the largest city in the world and for some centuries more, was second only to Rome. It became the main Greek city of Egypt, with an extraordinary mix of Greeks from many cities and backgrounds. Nominally a free Hellenistic city, Alexandria retained its senate of Roman times and the judicial functions of that body were restored by Septimius Severus after temporary abolition by Augustus.

Alexandria was not only a center of Hellenism but was also home to the largest Jewish community in the world. The Septuagint, a Greek translation of the Hebrew Bible, was produced there. The early Ptolemies kept it in order and fostered the development of its museum into the leading Hellenistic centre of learning (Library of Alexandria) but were careful to maintain the distinction of its population's three largest ethnicities: Greek, Jewish, and Egyptian. Alexandrian Greeks placed an emphasis on Greek culture in part to exclude and subjugate non-Greeks. There were two institutions in Alexandria that were devoted to the preservation and study of Greek culture and which helped to exclude non-Greeks. In literature, non-Greek texts could only be kept in the library once they had been translated into Greek and notably, there were few references made to Egypt or native Egyptians in Alexandrian poetry; one of the few references to native Egyptians presents them as "muggers." There were large ostentatious religious processions in the streets that displayed the wealth and power of the Ptolemies, but also celebrated and affirmed Greekness. These processions were used to shout Greek superiority over any non-Greeks that were watching, thereby widening the divide between cultures. From this division arose much of the later turbulence, which began to manifest itself under Ptolemy Philopater who reigned from 221–204 BC. The reign of Ptolemy VIII Physcon from 144–116 BC was marked by purges and civil warfare (including the expulsion of Apollodorus) as well as intrigues associated with the king's wives and sons.

One of the earliest well-known inhabitants of Alexandria during the Ptolemaic reign was the geometer and number-theorist Euclid.

Roman annexation

The city passed formally under Roman jurisdiction in 80 BC, according to the will of Ptolemy Alexander but only after it had been under Roman influence for more than a hundred years. Julius Caesar dallied with Cleopatra in Alexandria in 47 BC and was mobbed by the rabble. His example was followed by Mark Antony, for whose favor the city paid dearly to Octavian. Following Anthony's defeat at Alexandria, Octavian took Egypt for his own, appointing a prefect who reported personally to him rather than to the Roman Senate. While in Alexandria, Octavian took time to visit Alexander's tomb and inspected late king's remains. On being offered a viewing into the tombs of the pharaohs, he refused, saying, 'I came to see a king, not a collection of corpses'.

File:The Roman Theatre in Alexandria.JPG

The ancient Roman Amphitheatre in Alexandria

From the time of annexation and onwards, Alexandria seemed to have regained its old prosperity, commanding, as it did, an important granary of Rome. This fact, doubtless, was one of the chief reasons which induced Octavian to place it directly under imperial power .

In 115 AD Alexandria was destroyed during the Jewish-Greek civil wars which gave Hadrian and his architect, Decriannus, an opportunity to rebuild it.

In 215 AD 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. This brutal order seems to have been carried out even beyond the letter, for a general massacre ensued.

Late Roman and Byzantine period

Even as its main historical importance had sprung from pagan learning, Alexandria now acquired new importance as a center of Christian theology and church government. There Arianism came to prominence and there also Athanasius, opposed both Arianism and pagan reaction against Christianity, experiencing success against both and continuing the Patriarch of Alexandria's major influence on Christianity into the next two centuries.

As native influences began to reassert themselves in the Nile valley, Alexandria gradually became an alien city, more and more detached from Egypt and losing much of its commerce as the peace of the empire broke up during the 3rd century AD, followed by a fast decline in population and splendor.

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.

The Brucheum and Jewish quarters were desolate in the 5th century, and the central monuments, the Soma and Museum, fell into ruin. On the mainland, life seemed to have centered in the vicinity of the Serapeum and Caesareum, both which became Christian churches. The Pharos and Heptastadium quarters, however, remained populous and were left intact.

Arab conquest

In 616, it was taken by Khosrau II, King of Persia. 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. The city received no aid from Constantinople during that time; Heraclius was dead and the new Emperor Constantine III was barely twelve years old. Notwithstanding the losses that the city had sustained, Amr was able to write to the Caliph Omar, that he had taken a city containing "4,000 palaces, 4,000 baths, 12,000 dealers in fresh oil, 12,000 gardeners, 40,000 Jews who pay tribute, 400 theaters or places of amusement." In 645 a Byzantine fleet recaptured the city, but it fell for good the following year.

Some claim that The Library of Alexandria and its contents were destroyed in 642 during the Arab invasion. Others deny this and claim that the library was destroyed much earlier, in 3rd century, due to civil war in the time of the Roman Emperor Aurelian. The Lighthouse was destroyed by earthquakes in the 14th century, and by 1700 the city was just a small town amidst the ruins.

Modern history

Alexandria figured prominently in the military operations of Napoleon's expedition to Egypt in 1798. French troops stormed the city on July 2nd 1798 and it remained in their hands 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 21st 1801, following which they besieged the city which fell to them on 2nd September 1801.

Mohammed Ali, the Ottoman Governor of Egypt, began rebuilding the city around 1810, and by 1850, Alexandria had returned to something akin to its former glory. In July 1882 the city came under bombardment from British naval forces and was occupied (see Egypt under Muhammad Ali and his successors).

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.

Mayors of Alexandria (since the implementation of the local-government act of 1960)[1] :

1. Siddiq Abdul-Latif (Oct 1960 - Nov 1961)
2. Mohammed Hamdi Ashour (Nov 1961 - Oct 1968)
3. Ahmad Kamil (Oct 1968 - Nov 1970)
4. Mamdouh Salim (Nov 1970 - May 1971)
5. Ahmad Fouad Mohyee El-Deen (May 1971 - Sep 1972)
6. Abdel-Meneem Wahbi (Sep 1972 - May 1974)
7. Abdel-Tawwab Ahmad Hadeeb (May 1974 - Nov 1978)
8. Mohammed Fouad Helmi (Nov 1978 - May 1980)
9. Naeem Abu-Talib (May 1980 - August 1981)
10. Mohammed Saeed El-Mahi (August 1981 - May 1982)
11. Mohammed Fawzi Moaaz (May 1982 - Jun 1986)
12. Ismail El-Gawsaqi (Jul 1986 - Jul 1997)
13. Abdel-Salam El-Mahgoub (1997 - 2006)
14. Adel Labib (August 2006 - )

Geography

Alexandria from space, March 1990

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 BC) 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

File:DSC00293.JPG

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 [2] and [3]. It raised a noted head of Caesarion. These are even being opened up to tourists, to some controversy [4].

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.

Modern city

Modern Alexandria at night

Blocks

Modern Alexandria is divided into 6 blocks:

• Montaza block: population 943,100
• Eastern Alexandria block: population 933,600
• Middle Alexandria block: population 566,500
• Amreya block: population 457,800
• Western Alexandria block: population 450,300
• Gumrok block: population 186,900

There are also two cities under the jurisdiction of the Alexandria governarate:

• Borg Al-Arab city: population 186,900
• New Borg Al-Arab city: population 7600

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Squares

• (Ahmed) Orabi Square, in Downtown
• Mansheya Square, in Mansheya
• Saad Zaghlul Square, in Downtown
• Tahrir Square (formerly Mohammed Ali Square, originally Place des Consuls), in Downtown
• Ahmed Zewail Square, near Wabour El Mayah

Bridges

• Stanley Bridge, in Stanley
• Muharram Bey Bridge

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
• 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 de la Mère de Dieu
• Collège Saint Marc
• Deutsche Schule der Borromärinnen DSB A "Saint Charles Borromé"
• Don Bosco
• Ecole Champollion
• Ecole Gérard
• Ecole Saint Gabriel
• Ecole Saint-Vincent de Paul
• Ecole Sainte Catherine
• 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 (Lycée Al-Horreya)
• Mubarak Technologichal School (MTS)
• Modern American School
• Riada Language School (RLS)http://ragabgroup.com/rls/index.html
• Schutz American School
• Sidi Gaber Language School {SLS}
• Taymour English School (TES)
• Université Senghor
• Victoria College
• Zahran Language School (Z.L.S)

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 BC, 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

Transportation

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

Alexandria tramway routes

Airports

- Alexandria is served by the nearby Al Nozha Airport, located 7 km to the southeast.

- Another airport serves Alexandria named Borg al Arab Airport located about 25 km away from city center. This airport has been in use since about 2003. It was a military airport before that, and till now there is a military section there.

Highways

• 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
• Ta'ameer Road "Mehwar El-Ta'ameer" - (Alexandria - North Coast)

Train

Extends from "Misr Station"; the main train station in Alexandria, to Abu Qir.

Train stations include:

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

Tram

Main article: Alexandria Tram

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

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

- Buses and Minibuses.

Port

Main article: Alexandria Port

The port is divided into:

• The Eastern Harbor
• The Western Harbor

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).
• Songs in English:
  • "Alexandria" by Kamelot

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 BC) Greek philosopher
• Alypius (4th century BC) 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)
• 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

• 
  A panoramic view of modern Alexandria
• 
  Alexandria at night
• Modern Alexandria, from "Citadel of Qaitbay"
  Modern Alexandria, from "Citadel of Qaitbay"
• 
  Skyline from the corniche
• 
  Planetarium by Bibliotheca Alexandrina
• 
  Bibliotheca Alexandrina & reflecting pool
• 
  Alexandria beach
• 
  Citadel of Qaitbay
• 
  Saad Zaghloul street in downtown Alexandria
• 
  Crossroad of Saad Zaghloul and Safeya Zaghloul streets at sunset
• 
  ceiling of Citadel of Qaitbay

See also

• Alexandria Governorate
• Governorates of Egypt

Notes

• "Alexandria: City of Memory" by Michael Haag (London and New Haven, 2004). A social, political and literary portrait of cosmopolitan Alexandria during the nineteenth and twentieth centuries.
• Victor W. Von Hagen. The Roads that led to Rome The World publishing Company, Cleveland and New York. 1967.

External links

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
• Richard Stillwell, ed. Princeton Encyclopedia of Classical Sites, 1976: “Alexandria, Egypt”
• Landmarks in Alexandria