Alexandria
The largest port and second largest city in Egypt, and the greatest summer resort in the Middle East. Locate on the Mediterranean Sea North West of Delta, 225 km from Cairo by agricultural road and 221 km by desert road. It is internationally known as “the Bride of the Mediterranean” with beautifully fine sandy beaches extending along the Mediterranean, which made it worthy of its well merited title “Pearl of the Mediterranean”.
Founded in 332 BC and named after Alexander the Great, it was built at his order on the site of a small old fishing village called Rhakotis to be the capital of his reign "Greco-Roman" in Egypt, a port near to his country and a Greek cultural center. Its status as a beacon of culture symbolized by Pharos, the legendary lighthouse was one of the Seven Wonders of the World. The setting for the stormy relationship between Cleopatra and Mark Antony, Alexandria was also the center of learning in the ancient world. But ancient Alexandria declined, and when Napoleon landed he found a sparsely populated fishing village.
From the 19th century Alexandria took a new role, as a focus for Egypt's commercial and maritime expansion. This Alexandria has been immortalized by writers such as E.M. Forster and from Cavafy. Generations of immigrants from Greece, Italy and the Levant settled here and made the city synonymous with commerce, cosmopolitanism and bohemian culture; Lawrence Durrell described it as "the capital city of Asiatic Europe, if such a thing could exist".
Today, traces of all these pasts remain. Visitors can eat seafood caught by local fishermen, take a tram to view Roman remains or drink coffee in European-style patisseries. A waterfront city, Alex (as it is popularly known) runs along the Mediterranean for 30 km but never goes for inland, there is also a lot of colorful fishing boats, a walk along a magnificent Corniche sweeps round the curve of the eastern harbor and takes you right through the city center. Now, Alexandria is a year-round beach resort, in winter the sun still shines along the white sand coast while yachts race in the harbor, in summer sun lovers seek out the cooling sea breezes.
Since its foundation Alexandria remained for many centuries a center of cultural radiation in the whole world. It occupied a remarkable place in the history of mankind. It is distinguished by its strategic location, moderate climate and many sites to visit such as the Tomb of Mustafa kamel, the Pompey`s Pillar, the Greco-Roman Museum, Catacombs of Kom Al Shoukafa, the Library of Alexandria, Qaitbey Citadel, the Roman Amphitheater, Al Mursi Abu Al Abbas Mosque, the Coptic Cathedral and Montazah Palace Gardens.
Whether you come for the past or the present, for history or just a holiday, when you visit Alexandria you'll see more in that one city.
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