Alexandria,
the shining pearl of the Mediterranean, and the beacon radiating its
culture and heritage to the world at large.
The second
largest city and the main port of Egypt, Alexandria was built by the
Greek architect Dinocrates (332-331 BC) on the site of an old village,
Rhakotis, at the orders of Alexander the Great. The city, immortalizing
Alexander's name, quickly flourished into a prominent cutural, intellectual,
political, and economic metropolis, the remains of which are still evident
to this day.
It
was the renowned capital of the Ptolemies, with numerous monuments.
It was the site of the Lighthouse, one of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient
World, as well as the Great Library. It was along these shores that
history took a tragic turn at the time of Cleopatra, Julius Caesar,
Mark Antony, and Octavian.
From the 19th century Alexandria took a new role, to
become Egypt's commercial and maritime center.
Just northwest of the Nile Delta on a narrow strip of coastline are
Alexandria's 140kms of unspoiled beaches. The locals go and relax on
these beaches, far from the bustling crowds of the Red Sea resorts.