Alexandria

Alexandria

Is the second largest big city in Egypt, considered as the second capital of the country of almost 5 to 7 million inhabitants, Alexandria is one of the biggest city which has a port in Egypt along with Port Said, Damietta and others. The biggest industrial city as it houses different compounds of different factories, and oil industry as well.

The History of Alexandria

Alexandria was founded by Alexander the great in 332 B.C. by the beginning of the Greek period, it became very famous worldwide as the Trade center of the whole world, and the cultural one as well.

Before the coming of the Great leader it was already existing as an administrative center of the provinces of delta, although the design of the new city resembled very much Athens in Greece in its architectural design.

After the Greek period the Roman came to the city and continued as the same capital for the whole empire in Egypt too.

When Christianity started in Egypt, it was by St. Marc and all the way from Alexandria that’s why the church of Egypt named after Alexandria.

Islam went to Alexandria from the beginning too not to have a sea separate the caliphate from its Muslims.

Mohamed Ali in the modern history of Egypt took very good care of the infrastructure of the city.

The sites of Alexandria

Nothing excavated so far from the ancient Egyptian different periods, but back to Alexander’s period we had the lighthouse, the old Library, and a lot of other temples and sites, but nothing remains as Romans destroyed the Greek city of Alexandria.

Romans erected many places in Alexandria such as the Catacomb; the underground tomb, most probably dates back to the first and the second centuries, Serapuim and Pompy’s pillar, the so-called amphitheater, and some other palaces.

Back to the modern period we have Montazah palace, built by the king Farouk the last king of Egypt. Three big museums; the Greek-Roman museum, the national museum of Alexandria, and the royal jewelry museum.

Christian sites such as the first church founded in Egypt, the cathedral of St. Marc, and others Egyptian and Greek too.

A lot of Jewish Synagogues founded in Alexandria, but the most famous of them is Ely ahu Hanafi Synagogue.

The most famous mosque is that El Morsi Au El Abbas which dates back to the 13th century and the fort of Quetbay on the original site of the original lighthouse.

A lot of theaters, art museums exist too in the city such as Kavafy and others.