Today, Alexandria is a vibrant tourist destination known for its beautiful beaches, historic sites, and diverse cultural heritage. The city also plays a significant role in Egypt’s economy, with important industries including natural gas, oil, and maritime trade facilitated by its strategic port.
So, what was the event that turned those sands into the most famous city on the Mediterranean, specifically in what is now known as Greece, where at that time they were just scattered and powerful Greek cities? In exchange for their power, there was Persia, which occupied what is now known as Iraq, the Levant, Palestine, and Egypt.
The Persian fleets attempted to invade the Greek islands, which made their kingdoms feel the necessity of uniting to confront the Persian threat. Philip, king of Macedonia, emerged during the fourth century BC and united those Greek cities. Then he attempted to cross Asia Minor (now Turkey) to confront the Persians, but he was defeated.
His son Alexander continued the journey in the year 336 BC. He was still twenty years old. He marched to conquer Asia Minor, then the Levant, then Palestine, until he arrived in Egypt after crushing defeats for the Persians. In Egypt (in 332 BC), the Egyptians welcomed him due to the cruelty he showed. They were treated there under the Persian occupation.
After he visited the city of Memphis (now south of Giza), he was crowned king of Egypt. He visited the Temple of Amun in the Siwa Oasis, where the priests performed the adoption rituals so that Alexander became the son of Amun. On his way to Siwa, he admired that expansive land.
Between the Mediterranean Sea, Lake Mariott, and that island extending in front of the shore, he ordered the building of a city there to be a connecting point between Egypt and Greece.
Alexandria was the intellectual and cultural center of the ancient Mediterranean for much of the Hellenistic age and Coptic period. The city was a major center of early Christianity and was the center of the Patriarchate of Alexandria, which was one of the major centers of Christianity in the Eastern Roman Empire.
Because Shipping industry grew rapidly late 18th century in Alexandria, the city became major center of the international shipping industry and a major player in cotton stock markets specially after the opening of the Suez Canal and the new connection between the Mediterranean and the red sea.
Alexandria is considered one of the important cities in Egypt. It has the largest seaports in the Republic: Dhekelia Port and Alexandria Port. Most of Egypt’s exports and imports pass through these ports, with a percentage of (80%) of exports and imports.
It was best known for the Light House (Pharos), one of the Seven wonders of the ancient world.
The great library of Alexandria was established on the third century BC, it was part of the Mouseion, a larger institution dedicated to the muses, the goddess of Art and science.
The Library aimed to collect all the world knowledge and housed hundreds of thousands of scripts papyrus scrolls from all over the world. The modern Library was built near by the original location. It aims to recapture the spirit of the ancient library and serves as a space of research.
The catacombs are rock cut tombs were built during the second century AD and discovered during the nineteenth century by accident. It is consider one of the wonders of the ancient world, they were built during the Roman period, the offer a great blend of the ancient Egyptian, Greek and Roman architectural styles.
The catacombs are multi-level construction consisting of series of tombs, statues and other objects and divided into three levels the lowest one of them is submerged under water.
