When the 25-year-old Macedonian conqueror Alexander the Great arrived in Egypt in 332 BC, he realized that he needed a capital for his newly conquered Egyptian kingdom and that, to link it with Macedonia, it would have to be located on the coast. At a small fishing village called Rhakotis, he founded his city, gave orders to build it and promptly departed. He never saw his new metropolis. After Alexander's death in 323 BC, Egypt fell to a Macedonian general named Ptolemy who had been present at the foundation of Alexandria. He made it his new capital and founded a dynasty that lasted until 30 BC. The first Ptolemies busily set about adorning their city. They encouraged scholarship and under their rule Alexandria became a haven and refuge for intellectuals. They also built the lighthouse on the island of Pharos, one of the Seven Great Wonders of the ancient world.
Modern Alexandria really dates from the early 19th century and the reign of Muhammad Ali, who was responsible for introducing cotton and for building the Mahmudiyyah Canal. This once more linked Alexandria to the hinterland, forcing Egypt to look not only towards the Mediterranean again, &but beyond it, to Europe. The later 19th century witnessed the creation of extensive wealth in the cotton trade and a steady influx of Greeks, Italians, French and English, who turned Alexandria into a pseudo-European city, complete with wide, grid-planned streets, foreign schools, clubs, restaurants, casinos, businesses and banks.
Now, Alexandria is the second largest city in Egypt. Set on the shores of the Mediterranean, it has long been a popular holiday spot, a refuge from landlocked Cairo's searing summer heat...
Alexandria was, and still is, a prominent cultural beacon for knowledge seekers and the history of its famous library- whose revival is underway- tells the story of the dawn of culture, enlightenment and creation.
They contain beautifully arranged trees and flowers, as well as several Grecko statues in marble and the Antoniadis palace.
- The Main Auditorium, 1700 seats, is a large hall without any pillars to obstruct the view. It is a multi-purpose facility with a fully-equipped stage that allows for holding international and national conferences and for staging plays, concerts, ballets, and operas. There are six separate booths equipped for simultaneous interpretation in six languages.
- Three smaller halls: The first 400 seats, and the second and third, 286 each. Five separate booths for simultaneous interpretation are attached to each hall. All the halls are equipped with audio-visual aids, closed-circuit TV, air-conditioning, and direct-dial telephone services. Other facilities for information, security, and parking areas are also available.
Alexandria’s Submerged Monuments:
Over its long history,Alexandria has been the cradle of several civilizations of the ancient world; Pharaonic, Hellenistic and Roman.
This multicultural museum lies safely under Alexandria’s Mediterranean coastal water,sand during the Fifth Century B.C. it formed part of the ancient city of Alexandria and was devastated by earthquakes and tidal erosion.
A project was initiated in 1992 by the Supreme Council for Antiquities, in cooperation with the European Institute of Submerged Antiquities, to make a topographic survey of the area of royal facilities at the submerged parts, specifically the Eastern Port, which commands a major historical importance.
Exploratory operations resulted in the following:
An overall topographic picture of the submerged royal quarter in ancient Alexandria.
A number of 1300 sites were located at sight and cleared of attaching sediments.
Six archaeological maps were drawn up, showing accurately the topography of several areas of major historical significance.
These operations have allowed a full panorama of the reputed Magnus Portus. Major discoveries then followed as landmarks of the isles of Pharos (referred to in Homer’s Odyssey (7th Century B.C.) and Interodos started to unfold, with their royal palaces, statues and decorations. Several antiquities such as two statues of the Sphinx, of which one is made of grey granite and the other of durite, were broken up as a result of natural disasters.
These structures are indicative of the dense constructions along the eastern coastline. These discoveries made over the years 1996, 1997 and 1998 have given impetus to further explorations of the seaport basin and the fathoming of depths.
Collection of Submerged Monuments
In 1996, a new department of Underwater Archaeology of the Supreme Council of Antiquities was founded as a result of the excavations carried out at Qait Bey fortress and the discovery of part of the royal quarter in the Eastern harbor in Alexandria. Similarly, the year 1962 was significant in that it marked the uplift of the colossal statue of Isis Pharia from the depths of the Mediterranean. The year 1933 also marked other discoveries at the Abu Qir Bay.
The Museum displays some of the artifacts that have been salvaged from both the Alexandria Eastern harbor and Abu Qir Bay
Headless statue of a woman (probably the goddess Isis), in a striding posture, in which the left leg is advanced. She is dressed in a transparent garment that accentuates the beauty of her body. The dress is tied on the left shoulder in a knot. The right arm is stretched along the side of the body and the hand is missing. The feet are also missing.
Isis is one of the most important goddesses in ancient Egyptian religion. She was the goddess of love and the symbol of devotion as a wife and mother. She was the goddess of maternity, and protector of mother and child.
She was worshipped all over Egypt, and her cult spread to many places in Europe. She was identified with several other goddesses
Dimensions: H 152.5 cm, W 48 cm
Thickness: 34 cm
Material: Black basalt.
Date: Ptolemaic Period
Provenance: AbouKir Bay (Alexandria)
Head of the god Serapis, with a hole on top for fixing the kalathos. The eyes were inlaid, but are now only two cavities. The mouth is open with a faint smile. The facial features are distinct.
Parts of the five characteristic locks of hair, which usually fall on the forehead, are missing.
The god Serapis was a fusion of Egyptian and Greek religious concepts originating in Alexandria, where Ptolemy I started his cult and constructed the first known shrine to him, called the Serapeum. His worship continued throughout the Roman period and his temples spread throughout the Roman Empire.
Serapis was frequently combined with other deities, both Egyptian and Greek. Such combinations were Serapis-Zeus, Serapis-Helios and Serapis-Amun. His statues are characterized by a long face, heavily curled beard, long moustach with curling ends, and five locks of hair falling over the forehead.
The kalathos, one of his attributes and a symbol of abundance and fertility, surmounts his head.
Dimensions: H 57cm, W 35cm
Material: White marble
Date: Ptolemaic Period
Provenance: Abou Kir Bay (Alexandria)
Egypt is already famous for its locations for diving practice. Travellers come from the four corners of the earth to explore the underwater realms of coral reefs and exotic marine life off Hurghada and Sharm Al-Sheikh. Now Egypt offers divers the chance to venture into a submerged city off Alexandria, and explore an eerie, waterlogged domain of ruined palaces, crumbling colonnades, ancient sphinxes and mysterious statues.
’Alexandra-Dive’ is the first and only diving centre in Egypt to offer this underwater historical experience. The centre was inaugurated in the Mediterranean seaport and will be in operation in May.
Alexandra-Dive offers five diving spots in the eastern harbour. The first is called Qaitbay and is situated close to the Qaitbay fort at depths of between eight and 10 metres. It contains about 4,000 archaeological pieces that date back from Pharaonic to Graeco-Roman times.
To explore this site properly, two dives are recommended, each lasting 45 minutes.
The second spot is called Qaitbay 2 and is 200 metres north of Qaitbay fort. In this area, a diver will see dozens of amphorae around an ancient wreck. The area can all be explored in a single dive.
Qaitbay 3 is the third spot, 650 metres north-west of Qaitbay fort, at depths between 15 and 18 metres. Here divers can explore wrecks from the third century BC. A diver needs only one dive to explore the area.
The fourth spot is called East Harbour, Site One. It is found in the eastern harbour and is up to eight metres deep. The site includes relics of the royal zone from Ptolemaic and Roman times and several columns, sphinxes and royal statues. To see the area properly, two dives are recommended.
The fifth and last dive is East Harbour, Site Two. Here the dramatic remains of a downed World War II Italian fighter plane loom out of the gloom, surreally surrounded by a forest of ancient columns and statuary. The site only needs a single dive.
Alexandra-Dive’s trips start early in the morning, preceded by a lecture on the site, its historical importance, and details of the objects there. The divers then board either a 20 metres long diving boat, designed in the Pharaonic style with an ex-navy officer as captain, or a second vessel, 18 metres long, that is always ready in case of emergency. The vessels are equipped with compressors, diving tanks, equipment for 50 divers, still and video cameras.
