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"Now
off Egypt,
About as far as a ship can sail in a day
With a good stiff breeze behind her
There is an island called Pharos
It has a good harbor
From which vessels can get out into open sea
When they have taken in water"
The Beginning...
Long before Alexander the Great
visited the site of Alexandria, Homer wrote the above
paragraph in his Odyssey. Only remains of the
prehistoric harbor have been found off the shores of the
island of Pharos, now the peninsula of Ras-El-Tin.
Opposite of Pharos, on Egypt mainland, was a small
village centered around the area where "Pompey's Pillar"
now stands. It was called Rhakotis (Rakouda). Archeological
evidence suggests that it existed as long ago as the
13th Century BC. Throughout most of its
ancient history, Rhakotis was merely a fishing village.
Then came Alexander the Great.
When he reached Memphis in Egypt, he was welcome by the
people who hated Persian rule. He was twenty five years
old. Yet, he was King of Macedon. He was the hailed
conqueror who started a long journey through Greece,
Asia Minor, and Syria, sweeping both Greek and the
Persian forces on his way. He had plans for a longer
journey to Persia, Central Asia, and India. But first,
he had to visit the Oasis of Siwa to consult the Oracle
of Amun.
While on his way, Alexander admired that stretch of land
between the Mediterranean Sea and lake Mareotis
(Mariout), and the
nearby island. He ordered a city to be founded there in
order to serve as a regional capital. The location was
ideal for it was intermediate between Greece across the
Mediterranean and the rest of Egypt. At that time, the
Nile was connected to the Red Sea through a canal, and
Alexandria could serve as a gateway to the Indian Ocean.
The city plan was designed by the Greek architect
Dinocrates. The city walls outline was marked by
Alexander himself.
Egypt's new capital was born April 7, 331 BC. She was
named after Alexander, yet he never saw a single
building rise there. Only after his death, had he
returned to her to be burried.
The Ptolemaic City
Upon Alexander's death, no single
successor emerged to claim his kingdom. Rather, the
widespread territories were divided among several
rulers. Egypt was the share of the most skilled of
these: Ptolemy. He was Macedonian by birth, but
witnessed the birth of Alexandria and wanted her to be
the cultural and intellectual capital of the world. He
ruled in 323 BC, reigned in 304 BC, and expanded his
kingdom to include Cyrene (Lybia), Palestine, Cyprus,
and others lands. His royal titles included King Soter
(Savior), and Pharaoh. Under the reign of Soter, the
golden age of Alexandria, the new capital of Egypt,
started.
His successor, Ptolemy II Philadelphus (King in 287 BC),
was a less ambitious person. Unlike his father, he
turned his back to military campaigns and focused on
building Alexandria. He was more "Egyptian" than his
father...
His son, Ptolemy III Euergetes (Well-doer), was full of
will and motivation. He reigned in 246 BC, and was
praised as a military leader and a supporter of science.
His reign, marked the
peak in Alexandria's glamor and fame.
Ptolemy Euergetes was succeeded by less influential
Kings.
The reign of the Ptolemaic Dynasty ended in 30 BC, when
Cleopatra lost the famous battle of Actium in the
Adriatic. Egypt then became a Roman province, under the
rule of Octavian.
Alexandria thrived during the reign of the first three
Ptolemies and grew into one of the largest, if not the
largest metropolis in the world and became the world's
scientific and intellectual Mecca. The legacy of the
Ptolemies is highlighted by major achievements. The
Pharos Lighthouse was built; the Mouseion/Great Library
system was founded; the Palace was constructed; the
Heptastadion Dyke was completed; and the Temple of
Serapis was erected. In conclusion, it is fair to say that the
reign of the first three Ptolemies marked Alexandria's
golden age.
The Roman
City
By the time the Romans conquered Egypt, Alexandria had
already attracted immigrants from the Mediterranean and
beyond.
Octavian, the new Roman Emperor, having had bitter
memories about Alexandria, Cleopatra, and Mark Antony,
founded a new town, Nicopolis, just east of Alexandria
(now part of the greater city, known as El-Raml). Higher
taxes were imposed, may be as a sort of "punishment" to
the Egyptians, and were collected by the local appointee
who served as the regional ruler of the new Roman
province. Octavian's successors were less harsh and more
appreciative. Matters improved further when the Red Sea
Canal was re-cut to link the Nile to the Red Sea, serving
the purpose of the modern Suez Canal.
During the early rule of the Romans in Egypt, the world
witnessed one of the most important events in history:
the birth of Christianity. The new religion was
introduced into Alexandria By St. Mark who was martyred
in AD 62 for protesting against the worship of Serapis.
As the Christian population grew, so did the persecution
from Roman Emperors. Persecution reached unprecedented levels during
the "Era of the Martyrs". However, the Catechetical School, where
Clement of Alexandria and Origen taught around AD 200,
grew in size and influence. And when in October 312 the
Roman Emperor Constantine announced Christianity as the
official religion of the Empire, Alexandria was ready
for the change.
Towards the end of the fourth century, events took a
tragic turn with conflicts growing, again, between the
Christian community and the Pagans - the Catechetical
School and the Mouseion. In AD 389, the Temple of
Serapis at Canopus (Abou-Qir) fell. Sentiments reached a
peak during the eventful year of AD 391, when the Roman
Emperor Theodosius issued a decree which authorized the
destruction of the Temple of Serapis at Alexandria, the
last refuge of the Pagans and home of the Mouseion.
Fourteen years later, the Neo-Platonist mathematician
and the last person known to have taught at the Mouseion,
Hypatia, was murdered, marking the end of Paganism in
Alexandria.
During the next two centuries, the spiritual power of
the Coptic Church in Alexandria grew among Egyptians, &
so has the power of the "Royal" Patriarchs.
In the early seventh century, both the Persian and the
Roman Empire started to fall apart. In 617, the Persians
peacefully captured Alexandria for a short period of 5
years. By the time the Roman Emperor Heraclius regained
his forces and captured the lost provinces back, the
world was ready to witness the birth of a new power. Out
of the Arabian peninsula, and spiritually powered by the
new religion of Islam, came the Arab forces that swept
both the Romans and the Persians, and established an
Empire that would last for over a thousand years. After
negotiating with the Roman Patriarch, Cyrus, who was
also serving as the Roman ruler of Egypt, Alexandria was
peacefully captured by the Arab general Amr Ibn-el-'Aas
in AD 642.
The Arab City
By the time they reached Alexandria,
the Arab forces, inspired by the new religion of Islam
and led by Amr Ibn-el-'Aas, had already captured the
strategic fort of Babylon near modern Cairo. They
advanced towards the Capital, Alexandria, and camped
near present Nouzha Gardens. He negotiated a treaty with
the Roman viceroy, the Patriarch Cyrus. The treaty was
signed on November 8th AD 641, and Amr and his soldiers
enter the city.
Amr was appointed as ruler of Egypt, and now had to make
a critical decision. He knew the Arab civilization was
of the land, not of the water. This meant that
Alexandria could not serve as the Capital as long as the
Nile river existed. The Arabs moved east of the Nile,
where they established another city, Al-Fostat, the
nucleus of modern Cairo.
For the next thousand years or so, the glamor of
Alexandria declined. The Arabs greatly admired the city,
and the most descriptive accounts of the Pharos
Lighthouse and the monuments come from Arab records. But
they were more interested in Cairo, their new capital.
They were horse riders, not sailors, and the
Mediterranean meant little for them.
In 1498, the medieval fort
of Qait-Bay was eventually constructed on the foundation
of the Pharos. Among the few landmarks constructed
during the Arab period are the Shrine of Abul-Dardaa, and the mosque of Al-Mursi Abul-Abbas, an
Andalusian-style mosque built by the Moroccan immigrant.
Alexandria was further struck by the discovery of the
new route around Africa to the Far East. The port would
not regain its power until the inauguration of the Suez
Canal in the mid 19th century. The population of the
city shrank, and was centered in the vicinity of the
newly accreted land around the heptastadion. The area,
formerly known as the Turkish town, later became the
city center (El-Mansheya).
Towards the end of the Mamelouk rule (late 18th
century), corruption reached its peak. Egyptians were
burdened by heavy taxes, and were scientifically and
economically lagging behind other nations. Europe had
started witnessing global political changes with the
French revolution and the emergence of Napoleon as a
military and political leader.
The Modern City
When Napoleon Bonaparte and the French
army entered Alexandria on July 1st 1789, she was no
more than a small town. The population of the city that
was once the second largest in the world had shrunk to a
mere 8000.
After the French expedition had failed when in 1799 the
British Lord, Nelson, defeated the French at Abou-Qir (Canopus),
For the next decade, Alexandria witnessed military
confrontations between the Ottomans and the Mamelouks as
well as the British who sent another expedition in 1807.
During the course of the events, a new political figure
started to emerge. An Albanian officer by the name of
Mohamed Ali who had been appointed by the Ottoman Sultan
as ruler of Egypt was gradually gaining power. He
finally declared Egypt as an autonomous state under the
Ottoman sovereignty.
Mohamed Ali cut the new Mahmoudeya Canal
and connected it to the Nile, an achievement that
revived Alexandria's as well as Egypt's economy. The
city center (Mansheya) as we see it today is mainly the
work of his engineers. He also prepared the Western
Harbor to be Egypt's main port, and built a modern
lighthouse at its entrance. When Mohamed Ali died,
Alexandria's population had grown from a meager 8,000 to
a prosperous 60,000.
Under the rule of Mohamed Ali's successors, Alexandria
continued to grow. When the Suez Canal was inaugurated
in 1867, Alexandria's exports increased to constitute
94% of Egypt's total. New communities emerged east of
Ancient Alexandria, as far as Octavian's Nicopolis (El-Raml),
to accommodate the growing population.
In 1882, Alexandria
suffered greatly when she was bombarded by the British.
The bombardment lasted for 2 days and the city
surrendered, marking the beginning of a British
occupation to Egypt which lasted for 70 years.
During the 20th century, the city became Egypt's summer
Capital. Al-Montazah Palace was designated as the King's
summer residence, and the official government
headquarters were based in Bulkeley. In 1944, Arab
delegates signed the birth document of the Arab League
in Alexandria. She witnessed the abdication of King
Farouk and his departure to exile in Italy on July 26th
1952. And exactly four years later, president Nasser
(who was born in Alexandria) announced the
nationalization of the Suez Canal at her very own heart,
Al-Mansheya Square.
Today, the city looks different from that of the
Ptolemies. Greater Alexandria stretches nearly 70
kilometers (45 miles) along the Mediterranean coast,
with urban areas covering more than 100 square
kilometers. Her rich population of more than 4 million
still reflects her ancient history and close ties to the
Mediterranean.
With ethnic minorities including Armenians, Greeks,
Italians, Lebanese, Maltese, and Syrians among others,
Alexandria is considered the most diverse culturally of
all Egyptian cities.
Her diverse experiences are deeply engraved in the names
of her districts:
Greek names Bacos (Bacchus), Quartier Grec (Greek
Quarter);
Ptolemaic names Soter, Cleopatra;
Roman/Coptic names Camp César, Sainte Catherine, San
Stefano; Arab names Shatby, Sidi Bishr, Sidi Gaber;
Jewish names Smouha, Menasha (Menasce);
Modern European names Fleming, Glymenopoulo, Lambruzo,
Schutz, Stanley;
And modern Egyptian names Moharram Bey, Moustafa Kamel,
Rushdy, Saba Pasha.
Alexandria is home of the Alexandria University, the
Arab Institute of Science and Technology, Université
Senghor and the Eastern Mediterranean Regional Office of
the World Health Organization.
History of the City
The Beaches of Alexandria
Lake Mariout
The City at a Glimpse
Photo Gallery
Maps
Airlines & Tourism Offices
Train Schedule
Main Hotels
Restaurants
Cafes & Hang Outs
Weather
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