Alexandria – Pearl of the Mediterranean

This port city is more Mediterranean than Middle Eastern. Its inherent ambience and cultural heritage isolate it from Egypt’s hinterland although it is hardly five hours drive from the Egyptian capital.

Alexandria was indeed the capital of Graeco-Roman Egypt after Alexander the Great founded it 331 BC. This ancient city enjoyed the status as a guiding light of knowledge and culture and provided the wildly romantic backdrop for the stormy relationship between the enigmatic Cleopatra and fiercely ambitious Mark Antony.

Alexandria lost its status as the capital after the Arab conquest in 641 AD. This remarkable city that was once so enlightened started to decline gradually and ceased to be the center of learning in the ancient world.

Napoleon was utterly dismayed to find Alexandria to be a sparsely populated fishing village when he landed there in early 19th century. It then assumed a new role of commercial and maritime expansion. Generations of fortune hunters from Greece and Italy settled here and converted the derelict city identical with commerce, cosmopolitanism and bohemian culture.

Alexandria retained its distinctive habit of looking more towards the cosmopolitan Mediterranean than towards fairly liberal Egypt. Alexandria was enriched by the generations of Greek, Jewish and Armenian communities. It became a favorite haunt of foreigners and turned her back on Egypt’s fairly vast hinterland.

Alexandria is a city worth exploring at random for enjoying its historical and cultural legacy. One such a sight is the Corniche which is a walkway along the harbor dotted with restaurants, markets and casinos built on stilts. This walkway did not always exist. Until the 20th century these areas were fortified by a five mile long wall with watch towers for protecting the city since the 13th century.

On the western end of the Corniche are the Shatby Tombs which are said to be oldest in Alexandria. Most hotels are located in the city’s old district along the Corniche.

Today’s Alexandria is a dusty seaside decaying town where old Alexandrians – claiming hereditary residency since the time of Alexander the Great – still prefer to pass their time smoking tobacco and watching the sea.