Alexandria

Trip Start Jun 29, 2008
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Trip End Nov 27, 2008


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Where I stayed
(Aswan hotels)

Flag of Egypt  , Nile River Valley,
Friday, September 5, 2008

We reached Alexandria that evening via a 3hr road trip. Alexandria is a city on the Mediterranean founded by Alexander the Great in 332BC, and was the capital of Egypt during the Ptolemaic period. It was the location for the Pharos lighthouse, another of the 7 ancient wonders of the world. Unfortunately the lighthouse no longer remains, having been destroyed in an earthquake. Now the 15th Century Fort of Qayt Bay occupies the original site. The following day we visited the Catacombs, the Alexandria National Museum and the impressive ultra-modern Biblioteka Alexandrina (check out the website at www.bibalex.org). The catacombs of Kom as-Shuqafah date from the second century AD, during the time of the Romans. In order to keep the Egyptians happy, the carvings within are a mixture of classical and Egyptian styles, which was a little amusing. The museum was very good, situated in a small palace, with good lighting and well labelled exhibits. Here, you were also able to take photos inside. The mummy here, though, was not unwrapped - sorry. There was an ancient library of Alexandria founded by Ptolemy I which contained 70,000 works. It was damaged by several fires then completely destroyed by the Arab invasion of 640. With the help of UNESCO , there is now the new library (inaugurated in 2002) with a facade of grey Aswan granite shaped like the rising sun with inscriptions of all known alphabets. The architectural design, the library's collection, and the website accompanying it are all very impressive. (Patrick, you should definitely look at the photos on the website to appreciate the architecture - it is a really cool structure).
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