Alexandria

💡 About Alexandria

Alexandria, Egypt's great Mediterranean port, was founded in 331 BC by Alexander the Great and became one of the most brilliant cities of the ancient world — a legendary centre of learning, culture and commerce that shone as the intellectual capital of the Hellenistic age.

In antiquity it was home to two of the ancient world's greatest wonders: the towering Pharos Lighthouse, one of the Seven Wonders, and the fabled Library of Alexandria, which sought to gather all the knowledge of the world. It was here that Cleopatra reigned as the last pharaoh of Egypt.

Though little survives of that ancient glory above ground, the city's spirit endures. The site of the ancient library has been reborn as the stunning modern Bibliotheca Alexandrina, while the Fort Qaitbay stands where the great lighthouse once rose, and Greco-Roman ruins and catacombs hint at the buried past.

Today Alexandria is a faded but atmospheric city with a distinctly Mediterranean character, its long seafront corniche, breezy cafés and cosmopolitan history setting it apart from the rest of Egypt. Nostalgic and evocative, it remains a captivating window into a legendary past.

⭐ Known For