Alexandria

Alexandria is Egypt`s second largest city and the country`s window on the Mediterranean Sea.

It is known as "The Pearl of the Mediterranean" and has an atmosphere that is more Mediterranean than Middle Eastern. Founded by Alexander the Great, it was the site of Egypt`s 2nd site on the list of Seven Wonders of the World - The Lighthouse of Alexandria.

The city is a faded shade of its former glorious cosmopolitan self, but still worth a visit for its many cultural attractions and memories of a glorious past. It remains an important city, as Egypt`s chief seaport on the Mediterranean and a home to at least 3.5 million Egyptians.

HISTORY: Sic transit gloria mundi - Alexandria was the eponymous foundation (in 334 BCE) of the Macedonian conquerer Alexander the Great (Iskander al-Akbar), a rival of Rome in its heyday, and the world`s greatest center of learning for millennia, now a dusty seaside Egyptian town with an over-inflated population of 5 million. The French-style parks and the occasional French street sign survive as a legacy of Napoleon, one of Alexandria`s many conquerors. But the final blow came when Gamal Abdel Nasser nationalized most of Alexandria`s Greek-owned businesses, leading to an exodus of 50,000 Greeks from the country - but the few remaining Greek restaurants and cafés still dominate the cultural scene.

 
TOUR ATTRACTIONS:
• Fort Qait Bey - Built by Mameluke Sultan Abdul-Nasser Qait Bey in 1477 AD but razed and reconstructed twice since. At Ras el-Tin at the western tip of Alex, take the yellow tram to get there.
• Bibliotheca Alexandrina - A huge modern library and research center constructed on the site of the former Library of Alexandria (destroyed c. 400 AD), located just to the east of the Corniche. Open Saturday to Thursday (including Tuesdays) from 11:00 am to 7:00 pm and Friday from 3:00 pm to 7:00 pm.

Like its illustrious predecessor, the modern Bibliotheca Alexandrina is much more than a library. In addition to millions of books and Internet archives, the complex houses three museums, a planetarium and children science exploratorium, a nine-screen multimedia presentation of Egyptian history and culture, an interactive 3-D virtual reality simulation lab, a conference center, academic research centers and art galleries.

Guided tours are offered in English, Arabic, French, Italian, and Spanish, featuring the history of the ancient library, the concept and construction of the new library, and an introduction to the different sections of the library.

• Graeco-Roman Museum
• Roman Catacombs at Kam-el-Shuqqafa
• Roman Amphitheater
• Pompey`s Pillar
• Montazah