Alexandria City
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Alexandria CityAlexandria
Alexandria with a population of 4.1 million, is the second-largest city in Egypt, and is the country's largest seaport, serving about 80% of Egypt's imports and exports. Alexandria is also an important tourist resort.
Alexandria extends about 32 km (20 miles) along the coast of the Mediterranean sea in north-central Egypt. It is home to the Bibliotheca Alexandrina (the new Library of Alexandria), and is an important industrial center because of its natural gas and oil pipelines from Suez, another city in Egypt. Alexandria was also an important trading post between Europe and Asia, because it profited from the easy overland connection between the Mediterranean Sea and the Red Sea.
In ancient times, Alexandria was one of the most famous cities in the world. It was founded around a small pharaonic town c. 334 BC by Alexander the Great. It remained Egypt's capital for nearly a thousand years, until the Muslim conquest of Egypt in 641 AD when a new capital was founded at Fustat (Fustat was later absorbed into Cairo).
Alexandria was known for the Lighthouse of Alexandria (one of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World), the Library of Alexandria (the largest library in the ancient world) and the Catacombs of Kom el Shoqafa (one of the Seven Wonders of the Middle Ages). Ongoing maritime archaeology in the harbor of Alexandria, which began in 1994, is revealing details of Alexandria both before the arrival of Alexander, when a city named Rhakotis existed there, and during the Ptolemaic dynasty.
.jpg) ** Catacomb of Kom el Shokafa: The Catacombs of Kom el Shoqafa (meaning 'Mound of shards' or 'Potsherds') is a historical archaeological site located in Alexandria, Egypt.The necropolis consists of a series of Alexandrian tombs, statues and archaeological objects of the Pharaonic funeral cult with Hellenistic and early Imperial Roman influences. Due to the time period, many of the features of the Catacombs of Kom el Shoqafa merge both Roman, Greek and Egyptian cultural points; some statues are Egyptian in style, yet bear Roman clothes and hair style whilst other features share a similar style. A circular staircase, which was often used to transport deceased bodies down the middle of it, leads down into the tombs that were tunneled into the bedrock during the age of the Antonine emperors (2nd century AD). The facility was then used as a burial chamber from the 2nd century to the 4th century, before being rediscovered in 1900 when a donkey accidentally fell into the access shaft. To date, three sarcophagi have been found, along with other human and animal remains which were added later. It is believed that the catacombs were only intended for a single family, but it is unclear why the site was expanded in order to house numerous other individuals. The Catacombs of Kom el Shoqafa is, according to some lists, also one of the seven medieval wonders of the world. One of the more gruesome features of the catacombs is the so called Hall of Caracalla. According to tradition, this is a mass burial chamber for the humans and animals massacred by order of the Emperor Caracalla.
.jpg) .jpg) ** lighthouse:
The Lighthouse of Alexandria was a tower built in the 3rd century BC (between 285 and 247 BC) on the island of Pharos in Alexandria, Egypt to serve as that port's landmark, and later, its lighthouse.
With a height variously estimated at between 115 and 150 m (380 and 490 ft) it was among the tallest man-made structures on Earth for many centuries, and was identified as one of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World by Antipater of Sidon. It may have been the third tallest building after the two Great Pyramids (of Khufu and Khafra) for its entire life. Some scholars estimate that would make the tower the tallest building up to the 14th century. Due to the centuries of earthquakes, it's now under water. The lighthouse was completed in the 3rd century B.C., after having been initiated by Satrap (governor) Ptolemy I Soter, Egypt's first Macedonian ruler and a general of Alexander the Great. After Alexander died unexpectedly at age 32, Ptolemy Soter (Saviour, named so by the inhabitants of Rhodes) made himself king in 305 B.C. and ordered the construction of the Pharos shortly thereafter. The building was finished during the reign of his son, Ptolemy Philadelphos.
According to legend, Sostratus was forbidden by Ptolemy from putting his name on his work. But the architect left the following inscription on the base's walls nonetheless: "Sostratus, the son of Dexiphanes, the Cnidian, dedicated (or erected) this to the Saviour gods, on behalf of those who sail the seas"; the original Greek inscription "ΣΟΣΤΡΑΤΟΣ ΔΕΞΙΦΑΝΟΥ ΚΝΙΔΙΟΣ ΘΕΟΙΣ ΣΩΤΕΡΣΙΝ ΥΠΕΡ ΤΩΝ ΠΛΩΙΖΟΜΕΝΩΝ" literally means: "Sostratos of Dexiphanes [meaning: son of Dexiphanes] the Cnidian to Saviour Gods for the seafarers (or seafaring [ones])". These words were hidden under a layer of plaster, on top of which was chiseled another inscription honoring Ptolemy the king as builder of the Pharos. After centuries the plaster wore away, revealing the name of Sostratus.
The lighthouse was badly damaged in the earthquake of 956, then again in 1303 and 1323. The fullest description of it comes from the Arab traveler Abou Haggag Youssef Ibn Mohammed el-Andaloussi who visited the structure as a tourist in 1166. His description runs:
"The Pharos rises at the end of the island. The building is square, about 8.5m [just under 28 feet] each side. The sea surrounds the Pharos except on the east and south sides. This platform measures, along its sides, from the tip up to the foot of the Pharos walls, 6.5m [a little over 21 feet] in height. However, on the sea side, it is larger because of the construction and is steeply inclined like the side of a mountain. As the height of the platform increases towards the walls of the Pharos its width narrows until it arrives at the measurements above.
On this side it is strongly built, the stones being well shaped and laid along with a rougher finish than elsewhere on the building. This part of the building that I have just described is recent because on this side the ancient work needed to be replaced.
On the seaward south side, there is an ancient inscription which I cannot read; it is not a proper inscription because the forms of the letters are carried out in hard black stone. The combination of the sea and the air has worn away the background stone and the letters stand out in relief because of their harshness. The A measures a little over 54cm [slight more than 21 inches]. The top of the M stands out like a huge hole in a copper boiler. The other letters are generally of the same size. The doorway to the Pharos is high up. A ramp about 183m [600 feet] long used to lead up to it. This ramp rests on a series of curved arches; my companion got beneath one of the arches and stretched out his arms but he was not able to reach the sides. There are 16 of these arches, each gradually getting higher until the doorway is reached, the last one being especially high."
The el-Andaloussi description of the dimensions does not appear to match the Thiersch drawing, the classic painting, or the graphic reconstruction, all of which show buildings with a footprint that would have been at least 80 x 80 feet, based on the scale of surrounding objects.
There are ancient claims the light from the lighthouse could be seen from up to 35 mi (56 km) away. Unconfirmed legends claim the light from Pharos could burn enemy ships before they reached shore.Constructed from large blocks of light-coloured stone, the tower was made up of three stages: a lower square section with a central core, a middle octagonal section, and, at the top, a circular section. At its apex was positioned a mirror which reflected sunlight during the day; a fire was lit at night. Extant Roman coins struck by the Alexandrian mint show that a statue of a triton was positioned on each of the building's four corners. A statue of Poseidon stood atop the tower during the Roman period.
The Pharos' walls were strengthened in order to withstand the pounding of the waves through the use of molten lead to hold its masonry together, and possibly as a result the building survived the longest of the Seven Wonders—with the sole exception of the Great Pyramid of Giza. It was still standing when the Muslim traveller Ibn Jubayr visited the city in 1183. He said of it that: "Description of it falls short, the eyes fail to comprehend it, and words are inadequate, so vast is the spectacle." It appears that in his time, there was a church located on the top.The two earthquakes in 1303 and 1323, damaged the lighthouse to the extent that the Arab traveler Ibn Battuta reported no longer being able to enter the ruin. Even the stubby remnant disappeared in 1480, when the then-Sultan of Egypt, Qaitbay, built a medieval fort on the former location of the building, using some of the fallen stone. The remnants of the Pharos that were incorporated into the walls of Fort Qaitbey are clearly visible due to their excessive size in comparison to surrounding masonry.
The fate of the Lighthouse of Alexandria from the Arab conquest until its collapse in the 14th century has been investigated by Doris Behrens-Abouseif in her article "The Islamic History of the Lighthouse of Alexandria" (in: Muqarnas XXIII [2006], pp. 1-14).
.jpg) ** Citadel of Qaitbay:
Fort Qaitbey is a great tourist site for kids. Kids grow up playing fort, and visiting this destination is really a wonderful experience for the whole family. It is one of the main tourist attractions of Alexandria and really one of the icons of the city. It is a beautiful location, overlooking and with a great view of the Mediterranean Sea and of Alexandria as well. The fortress itself has the look of a storybook castle, where the imagination of particularly the young can spiral into dreams of a more romantic age, of coastal sea battles between French and English ships and even pirates. It was a beautiful sunny day to spend in Alexandria, and a perfect day to visit one of the city's major monuments. The day started for me at the Sidi Bishr bus station The station was full of passengers because it was a long weekend in Egypt and people from various cities come to Alexandria in the summer to enjoy the beaches and the nice weather.
When I arrived on the Cornish, the fort looked almost like a toy castle though as I came closer it soon became an imposing building. The fort was built by Qaitbey (Quait-bey), who ruled Egypt between 1468 and 1496. Today, this Mumluk has an interesting reputation among modern Egyptians. Although he was a dictator and he overtaxed the Egyptian people, his reign is considered to be one of the best during the Mamluk Era, even though some say that he rose through the ranks violently, as most Mumluks did, Qaitbey cared about the people of Egypt and he built many institutions such as his mosque and funerary complex in the Mamluk Qarafa of Cairo and his wekala and sabil/kutab in the Azhar area. He also restored many Islamic buildings all around Egypt as well as building roads and bridges. It is said that he had a soft spot in his heart for the common people of Egypt.
Egypt went through a plague at the end of his reign and any people died including his wife and daughter, along with many Mamluk soldiers, which perhaps also caused more than the usual problems among this group of very frequently violent men. To make matters worst, there was also a low Nile flood. At the age of eighty, Qaitbey tired of all the problems and finally handed the kingdom over to his son, Mohamed Ibn Qaitbey.
The main tower itself was built between the years 1477 and 1480, at a cost of 100,000 Dinar, on an old island called Pharos, so named because this was the location of the famous Pharos lighthouse, one of the wonders of the ancient world, before it was toppled by an earthquake into the sea. The outer walls were built by Sultan el Ghouri sometime after he took office as Sultan. It is believed that at least some of the material for the fortress came from that ruined structure, particularly some huge red-granite pillars in the northwest section. At the time, it was built as a defense against the Ottoman empire, with whom the Mamluks had a shaky relationship at the time.
At first, I came to a doorway to the fort that I believed was the main entrance, but that turned out to be the gate to the Navel Museum, which contains a number of interesting displays. Here, one will also find various artifacts connected with Neapolitan's invasion of Egypt and afterwards, that of the English as they drove Neapolitan's forces out of Egypt. There are also displays from earlier Roman sea battles. It is certainly worth at least a short visit along with one's tour of the fortress itself. I took a little time to explore the museum, and then went on to the correct entrance to the fort itself, which was left of the museum doorway. This entrance to the fort, along with the outer walls, were actually built during the reign of Sultan al Ghoury (1501-1516).. Above the entrance hall there is a sign from that same reign, giving his full name as King Al Ashraf Abu Al Naser Qonsowa El Ghoury, and states that anyone who takes any weapons, equipment or soldiers as slaves from the main tower of the fort will be hanged on the entrance and be damned by God forever. The actual door of the fort was built during the English occupation of Egypt and is made of wood. The archway surrounding it is of granite, as are some other elements within the structure. However, the main building material of the walls is limestone. Above the doorway there is a spillway for hot oil to be poured down upon would be attackers.
The fortress consists of three main parts, the huge walls that surround the entire complex, an inner wall and the main tower which was built actually on the site of the Pharos Light House. The huge walls of the fortress enclose about two acres of land, surrounding the tower on all four sides. Note that the eastern side of the wall has no protective towers or balconies. The western wing of the wall has three guard towers for archers, as does the southern side. On the southern wall in the middle is a section where a door leads to the main entrance. The north side of the wall is the one facing the sea, and it has square shaped windows that held canons and catapults. Along the top was a balcony for archers.
Within the main wall of the fortress is a lower, secondary wall and between them is a nice garden area with considerably greenery and even palm trees. The inner walls contain 34 rooms for garrisoning soldiers. Within that secondary wall is the actual grounds of the fortress. There is also a large garden in front of the main central tower. Today, there is also a stage set up by the Egyptian Opera for night time performances. I walked about the courtyard for a short time, exploring the grounds, and then decided to investigate what is known as the coastal passages prior to entering the central tower.
The coastal passage is a series of tunnels beneath the grounds of the fortress that lead to various sections of the complex. The costal passages can be reached using narrow lanes that slop down from the interior walls around the garden. There are three doors that lead to the coastal passages. Those to the right and left of the garden in front of the main tower lead beneath the main tower and then directly to the eastern harbor and the cannons, including some Armstrong cannons dating to the time of Khedive Ismail. They were used for moving cannons, horses and men about the fortress. The part below the main tower included cisterns, as well as the fortress prison. The third doorway leads to the stables found in the western section of the fortress between the inner and outer walls. I entered through the right door and found myself in a lane that looks more like the entrance of a cave. The ceilings of these lanes are colorfully decorated, and there are many small rooms that branch off of the corridors. Each room has a small window that overlooks the sea. The costal passages were used to place cannons in position, and here are also many very narrow windows made for archers.
It took some time to explore the coastal passages, and then I moved on to the main tower. This is a square shaped structure that is located in the north eastern part of the fortress grounds. It has four tube-like towers, one located at each corner. It stands seventeen meters high and forms a square with each side measuring thirty meters. The building stands upon thirteen stone bases. At the top of this building there are many small windows for archers to protect the fort, but there are many other openings, some of which were used for archers, but also for lighting and circulation. Here also there are openings to pour burning oil down upon attackers. Many of the ceilings within it are made of mudbrick, and it is said that palm wood was also employed, perhaps as an early form of earthquake preventive architecture. Upon entering the ground floor of the central tower, the first element one encounters is the mosque, which is actually considered the oldest mosque in Alexandria. It consists of a large central square courtyard, or sahn, that is surrounded by four small iwans. The iwans are decorated with colorful geometrical designs and plant motifs. The qibla iwan, that facing Mecca, is slightly higher than the grounds of the sahn and is larger than the other three iwans. There are two alabaster columns that flank the mihrab located in the qibla wall. Next to the Mihrab are two, simple but pleasant mashrabeya screened windows. Generally, a sahn is an open courtyard, but in this case there is a dome some seventeen meters above, rising to the very top of the main tower, made of red and white stone. Elsewhere on the ground floor, the ceilings, with cross domes to help support the upper floors, stands 7.5 meters high.
To the left of the mosque is a large opening in the floor that leads to the coastal passage where the cistern is located. It is covered by a large wooden plate. There is also a hole in the ceiling so that soldiers could exchange food and water between floors, but in the event of a successful raid on the fortress, soldiers could also fire arrows from above onto their attackers entering the ground floor. For this reason, the ground floor was also designed to allow in less light, so that upon entering it, attackers would not be able to see very well. There are also other such openings elsewhere in the compound. To the left and nearby this opening, however, is also a shaft containing granite blocks where one can see the layers of stone used in the construction of the fortress.
A large set of stairs, with high steps to tire out any would-be attackers, leads to the second floor of the tower. After climbing them, I found myself in a wide corridor that has numerous stone rooms that face the exterior of the tower. Each one has a window covered by a mashrabeya screen. Other rooms face the interior of the main tower, and therefore overlook the sahn of the mosque.
On this floor there is also a small, well made model of the fortress that reveals how the fortress once looked, prior to modern alterations. Notably missing today is the old minaret of the mosque, which was built in the Mamluk style with three levels. The first was square, with a balcony at the top, the second had eight sides and the third was a circular shape with a small dome at the top. Here, also in the second story floor, is another hole that was used to exchange water and food.
On the third floor of the tower is the Sultan's throne, and a very large balcony where the Sultan would stand in full military regalia and observe his soldiers. The balcony is rectangular, measuring four meters in length and five meters wide. The floor is made of white and black marble. The ceiling of this room is well preserved and rich with red and white decorations. Around the third floor are located a number of small rooms, but these were used by the private guards of the Sultan. On top of this floor, soldiers were also positioned as lookouts, and from here they could spot invaders an entire day's journey out to see. This fort was badly ruined twice. The first time was when during French conquer Egypt and Napoleon and his soldiers used canons to attack the fort. The second time was when the English invaded Egypt. It has been restored three times. The first time was during the 1940s when King Farouq restored most of the fortress. It was again renovated in 1982, and once again in 2000.
** Alexandria Library: The idea of reviving the old library dates back to 1974, when a committee set up by Alexandria University selected a plot of land for its new library, between the campus and the seafront, close to where the ancient library once stood. The notion of recreating the ancient library was soon enthusiastically adopted by other individuals and agencies. One leading supporter of the project was current Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak; UNESCO was also quick to embrace the concept of endowing the Mediterranean region with a center of cultural and scientific excellence. An architectural design competition, organized by UNESCO in 1988 to choose a design worthy of the site and its heritage, was won by Snøhetta, a Norwegian architectural office, from among more than 1,400 entries. At a conference held in 1990 in Aswan, the first pledges of funding for the project were made: USD $65 million, mostly from the Arab states. Construction work began in 1995 and, after some USD $220 million had been spent, the complex was officially inaugurated on October 16, 2002.
The dimensions of the project are vast: the library has shelf space for eight million books, with the main reading room covering 70,000 m² on eleven cascading levels. The complex also houses a conference center; specialized libraries for the blind, for young people, and for children; three museums; four art galleries; a planetarium; and a manuscript restoration laboratory. The library's architecture is equally striking. The main reading room stands beneath a 32-meter-high glass-panelled roof, tilted out toward the sea like a sundial, and measuring some 160 m in diameter. The walls are of gray Aswan granite, carved with characters from 120 different human scripts.
The collections at the Bibliotheca Alexandrina were donated from all over the world. The Spanish donated documents that detailed the ruling of the Moors. The French also donated, giving the library documents dealing with the building of the Suez Canal.
.jpg) ** Montazah Palace and Garden:
H.M. Khedive Abbas Helmi II built the el-Salamlek Palace, located in Alexandria, Egypt, in 1892 as a hunting lodge for his Hangro-Austrian Mistress, Countess May-Torok von Szendro. It was surrounded by woods stocked with game for the hunting pleasure of the Khedive and his guests. The Greek architect Dimitri Faricious Pasha actually designed the palace and undertook its construction.
This is an excellent facility and one of the best of the historical hotels in Egypt. And with only 14 Suites and 6 luxurious rooms, all with classic furnishings, often huge terraces, it is both quaint and exclusive. Walk around the hotel one will discover rare old paintings, carpets, stained glass windows and period furnishings.The suites are often huge. For example the Mawlana Suite has five rooms and a terrace that can entertain up to 100 people while overlooking the Montazah Lagoon, while the Sahebat Al-Esma Suite, though smaller, can still accommodate a reception of up to 70 people. Needless to say, rooms have all the expected amenities of a five star plus hotel with satellite color TVs, minibars, individually controlled air conditioning, hair dryers, Ironing boards and bathrobes upon request and telephones.
Qatr El-Nada Garden overlooks the sea and gardens. Enjoy the sun at mornings and the soft garden breeze. At night, listen to live night music. Lunch, dinner, snacks, juices, ice cream and shisha are served. Not everyone going to Egypt overnights in Alexandria. In fact, it is often not a part of a standard tour at all, having little in the way of real pharaonic antiquities. But if you do visit Alex and have the budget for a grand old hotel, you will not find better than this one. .jpg) ** Pompey’s Pillar:
"Pompey's Pillar" is the best-known ancient monument still standing today. It is located on Alexandria's ancient acropolis — a modest hill located adjacent to the city's Arab cemetery — and was originally part of a temple colonnade. Including its pedestal, it is 30 m (99 ft) high; the shaft is of polished red granite, 2.7 meters in diameter at the base, tapering to 2.4 meters at the top. The shaft is 88 feet high made out of a single piece of granite. This would be 132 cubic meters or approximately 396 tons. The structure was plundered and demolished in the 4th century when a bishop decreed that Paganism must be eradicated. "Pompey's Pillar" is a misnomer, as it has nothing to do with Pompey, having been erected in 293 for Diocletian, possibly in memory of the rebellion of Domitius Domitianus. Beneath the acropolis itself are the subterranean remains of the Serapeum, where the mysteries of the god Serapis were enacted, and whose carved wall niches are believed to have provided overflow storage space for the ancient Library.
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