Alexandria
Founded by Alexander the Great and named for him, Alexandria is Egypt's chief seaport. It is situated on a
strip of land on the Mediterranean. Part of the port - Pharos Island - once held a great lighthouse said to have
been 400 feet high - one of the seven wonders of the ancient world.
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The city has a fine harbour and a good climate.
Cool, sunny days last from December to March, and the average summer tempera-ture is about 87 degrees. Alexandria is
some 130 miles north-west of Cairo. It was linked to that city by rail in 1885.
This widely celebrated former capital of Egypt has a long and rich history. Even before Alexander's time a town had
existed there; he renamed it and started its renovation, although he never saw a building rise on the land. Instead,
he quickly moved on in search of greater conquests. After his death in 323 B.C., his body was returned to the city for
burial. With Alexander no longer living, his vast empire was fought over by his generals. Egypt went to a Macedonian
called Ptolemy I. Under this ruler and his successors, Alexandria became the centre of government, of power, and of
splendour. It was also the home of the most famous library in the ancient world. Ptolemy I is usually given the credit
for founding the library on the palace grounds. At one time it contained perhaps more than 500,000 works.
The library was expanded under Ptolemy II, but was damaged when the Romans attacked the city in 47 B.C. Christians,
under Emperor Theodosius, destroyed the library's contents in A.D. 391, and none of the volumes remains today.
Perhaps Alexandria's most famous ruler was Cleopatra VII (69-30 B.C. ) . At the age of eighteen she became queen
of Egypt, sharing the throne with her brother. After the young king was persuaded to exile his sister, Cleopatra won the support of Julius Caesar, who was interested in gaining Egypt's wealth for his city, Rome. Cleopatra's brother
died in the war that followed, and she became queen of Egypt once again.
Cleopatra joined Caesar in Rome and stayed there until his assassination in 44 B.C. Not really important in the history
of Egypt, her fame rests more on her love affair with Mark Antony, one of the rulers of Rome. Their tragic story has been
told over and over again through the ages.
Ambitious and strong-willed, Cleopatra completely charmed the Roman warrior. They were married in 37 B.C., although
Antony was already married to the sister of Octavian, another member of Rome's ruling body. Antony further outraged
the Romans by awarding great honours, as well as a considerable amount of territory, to his new wife.
In 32 B.C. Octavian declared war against Cleopatra. Following the queen's plans, Antony faced Octavian in battle in
31 B.C. The plan failed, and Antony's army surrendered.
Tradition says that Antony killed himself because he believed that Cleopatra had committed suicide. But she was alive
and tried to come to terms with Octavian. When this failed, it is said that she died after being bitten by a snake.
It is more likely, however, that she poisoned herself to avoid being returned to Rome as a prisoner. After her death,
Egypt belonged to Rome.
Alexandria lost much of its glory after it was taken over by the Romans. Octavian disliked the city and had another,
called Nicopolis ("City of Victory"), built near the modern suburb of Ramleh. Through the next centuries, Alexandriawas neglected, especially by the Arabs who ruled the land from the seventh to the sixteenth centuries. The Arab rulers
were far more interested in Cairo.
When Mehemet Ali founded the last Egyptian dynasty in 1805 he restored the city of Alexandria much as it is today.
A 45-mile-long canal to reach the Nile was completed in 1820, and the harbour was developed. Suburbs mushroomed out
from the city as it grew in size and wealth.
Extract from “ The River Nile”, written by Corinne J. Naden. Franklin Watts Inc. Great Britain:1973.
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