|
|
|
 |
 |
| |
|
Alexandria - Egypt
When the
name of Alexandria is mentioned, I feel
my eyes lighting up, it is as if
Alexander the Great has come back to
life again. This great young leader came
to Egypt to fight against the Persians,
who had invaded Egypt a few years
before.
In 333 BC Alexander entered Memphis, the
ancient capital of Egypt, where he was
welcomed and hailed as a King by the
Egyptians. He was a quite clever
diplomat, as he showed great respect and
veneration to the gods of ancient Egypt,
especially Ptah, the patron god of
Memphis.
Afterwards Alexander decided to visit
the famous Oracle Temple of Amon,
located in the oasis of Siwa, in order
to consult the seer about his destiny.
He was marching parallel to the Canopic
branch of the Nile when he stopped to
rest at an old Egyptian village called
"Re-qdt” (its Greek name is “Racotis”)
between the Mediterranean Sea and the
Lake of Mariott (its location today is
the area of Tel Bab Sadrah or Karmouz).
Alexander decided to build a town there,
which became the chosen site of
Alexandria. He had an architect named "Dinocratis"
plan it – it was the birth of a great
new city.
He continued on to Siwah, to consult the
oracle and then left Egypt to fight the
Persians in Asia. After his triumphal
campaigns, Alexander the Great died in
Babylon in 323 BC without ever seeing
the city that bears his name.
In fact it wasn’t until the reigns of
Ptolemy I, (Soter - the Saviour), and
his successor Ptolemy II (Philadelphus)
that the building of the city was
completed and it became the main
capital.
Dinocratis had planned the city in
squares, like a chessboard. Two main
streets interlaced vertically and
horizontally extending from east to west
as well as from north to south.
Alexandria had 5 districts, each one
named after a letter of the first five
letters in the Greek Alphabet: A
(Alpha); B (Beta); G (Gamma); D (Delta)
and E (Epsilon). These 5 letters
represent the initial letters of the
text: "Alexander the king, the
descendent of the gods, erected the
city".
-
Alpha
was the royal district where the
royal palaces, the main Temple, the
museum, the libraries, and the
gardens were built,
-
Beta
was the district of the Greek
aristocracy.
-
Gamma
was dedicated to the settlement of
the Greek commoners.
-
Delta
was the district of the foreign
minorities such as the Syrians, the
Persians, and the Jews.
-
Epsilon was the district for the
native Egyptians.
Drinking
water was supplied by a canal starting
from the western Canopic branch of the
Nile, at a point called "Shedia" about
27 km to the south of Alexandria. The
water was stored in Cisterns; some of
which remain into modern times.
At the beginning of the Roman period,
about 30 BC, a new city was built here
by the Romans, bearing the name of "Nicopolis"
which means the city of Victory, in
order to commemorate the victory of
Octavian over Mark Anthony in Aktium in
31 BC. Most of it was destroyed or
vanished for several reasons, including
disturbances, civil wars, revolts,
natural disasters, subsoil water and
unplanned urbanization etc.
Among those fabulous monuments,
mentioned by ancient Greek books, are
the Enclosure Walls and the Gates of the
City, the Lighthouse, the Great Library,
the Royal Necropolis including the Tomb
of Alexander and the Museums.
Today the remaining monuments of ancient
Alexandria are different cemeteries
scattered in many various locations,
some of which date back to the Ptolemaic
period: El-Shatby, Moustafa Kamel, El-Anfoushy,
and El-Wardain. Others date back to the
Roman period: the tombs of Kom El-Shouqafa
(called the Catacombs), the tomb of
Tigran, Pompeii’s pillar, Tomb of
Silvago and the cemetery of El-Qabbary
which was recently discovered.
There are other important monuments in
the city that date back to various
periods, such as the Serapium, the Roman
Theatre, the Temple of El-Ras El-Souda,
Citadel of Quaitbay, the Jewellery
Museum, Mosque of El-Naby Daniel, Mosque
of El-Moursi Abou El-Abbas and the
Memorial of the unknown soldier.
|
 |
Places to visit while you are in
Alexandria:
 Kom
El Shouqafa (Called
the Catacombs)
Pompeii's
pillar
Citadel
of Qaitbay
|
|
How to reach Alexandria:
There are trains every three
hours that depart from Ramses Station in
Cairo.
Listed
below you will find the bus schedule, Cairo/
Alexandria.
|
Type |
Time Of Departure |
Price |
|
Golden
Arrow |
7:15 AM |
32 LE
Approx. $5 |
|
Pullman |
7:30 AM |
35 LE
Approx. $5 |
|
Pullman |
7:45 AM |
35 LE
Approx. $5 |
|
Pullman |
8:00 AM |
35 LE
Approx. $5 |
|
Lux |
8:30 AM |
25 LE
Approx. $4 |
|
Pullman |
5:00 PM |
35 LE
Approx. $5 |
|
 |
|
|
|
|
|
| |
|
Go to top |
|
|
