Alexandria: A city of art and culture
Published: Feb 2, 2011 19:56 Updated: Feb 2, 2011 19:58
Situated in the northern part of Egypt on the coast lies Alexandria. Widely known as the “Pearl of the Mediterranean,” Alexandria is a popular tourist attraction due to its rich culture, array of available activities and year-round perfect weather.
In ancient times, Alexandria was one of the world’s most famous cities. Founded by Alexander the Great in 331 BC, Alexandria was the main Greek city in Egypt and then came under Roman influence until 430 BC. It remained Egypt's capital for nearly a thousand years, until the advent of Islam in 641 AD.
The city is famous for its Lighthouse of Alexandria, one of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World. Standing between 115 and 150 meters high, it was among the highest structures of the world — second only to the Pyramids. The city is peppered with Roman and Greek buildings and ruins.
Another thing Alexandria is famous for is its tram system, which consists of 38 stations. It is one of only three non-heritage tram systems in the world that use double-deck trams cars. The other two are in Blackpool, England, and Hong Kong.
Buildings in Alexandria are pieces of art in themselves. Each building tells a story of the people who made the city their home and the architects that built and then subsequently renovated them. When renovating buildings, people tend to preserve the old Roman style by carrying out basic repairs and adding color.
The streets of Alexandria are like open-air museums due to the number of art pieces and sculptures that overwhelm streets and the seafront. The fence surrounding the city’s armed forces hospital is an open museum in itself featuring different paintings on marble. These paintings were done by art students in the city’s colleges and universities.
Friday nights in Alexandria are marked for open-air weddings where visitors can see newly married couples making merry along with guests in streets for all to see.
“Many people here are poor and cannot afford a ballroom to celebrate their weddings. They find it cheaper and much more enjoyable to go downtown to the seafront to gather with their loved ones and enjoy an affordable night out,” said a taxi driver.
Fifteen miles east of Alexandria along the coast lies El-Montazah Park and a large number of modern hotels. A favored tourist spot, El-Montazah is a big plot of land consisting of gardens constructed during the reign of the Khedive Abbas II. The royal family's habit of gathering in the area during the hot summers continues till this day with wealthy Egyptians and tourists also frequenting it.
On the other side of the waterfront and in a quieter part of the city lies the Bibliotheca Alexandrina that was inaugurated in 2003 near the site of an old library called the Royal Library of Alexandria. The Bibliotheca Alexandrina is situated right across the street from Alexandria University and encompasses a small cafeteria, making it the ideal place for students to study.
As one passes from one neighborhood to another and heads to the local market, visitors will often come across narrow and winding alleyways popularly called Zanqet El-Settat or "the women's squeeze." These mazes of small streets — too narrow for cars to fit in — are popular among women due to the hundreds of shops selling women’s clothes, accessories and makeup. Many Egyptian women shop there due to the reasonable prices and good quality. Most of the products are Egyptian-made, but Chinese-made products are also becoming more available. However, not all Egyptians like to shop in local markets or open air Bazaars and so head to big malls like the Four Season’s Mall or the City Center Mall.
Near the local market lies “El-Mursi Abu Abbas Mosque,” a beautiful building with huge granite pillars, colored glass skylights, intricately carved wooden windows and doors as well as paved marble floors. Constructed in 1775 by Algerians, it is said to be the biggest mosque in Alexandria and is located amid six other mosques in the same neighborhood. Its beautiful architecture is not to be missed. Women, however, cannot enter the mosque during prayer times.
What is left of Roman architecture is the Roman theater, also known as “Kom El-Dikka” (which means hill of rubble), which is situated at Ram Station Square. There, you can find the remains of a theater where assemblies were made for the royal audience.
Until archaeologists from the University of Warsaw began to excavate this site in the 1960s, it looked like what the name suggests. Now, after the removal of more than 10,000 cubic meters (340,000 cubic ft.) of earth and the construction of a new building to protect mosaics, “Kom El-Dikka” is an example of the kind of Roman ruins that likely lie under other sections of modern Alexandria.
Though the site is not huge, it comprises a column-lined street, a third century theater with 13 intact tiers of seats that accommodated an audience of 600, and the remains of a villa with a series of truly lovely mosaics on the floor. The mosaics are worth a careful look at due to their intricately detailed and colorful depictions of local wildlife. The curve and size of the theater is impressive, but the most amazing thing about it is that it was originally covered with a roof.
Just a few minutes’ drive from the Roman theater there is The Royal Jewelry Museum, which is installed at the Palace of Nobel Fatma El-Zahraa. The palace is a beautiful example of European art and architectural designs. After purchasing a ticket and turning your cell phone off, visitors are required to wear cloth on their shoes to keep the floors clean. Consisting of an eastern and western wing, the two wings are connected to a long balcony made of colored glass.
The museum includes paintings and a huge collection of royal jewelry and home accessories. Most of the jewelry pieces have the owner’s initials carved on them. The museum is a luxurious place where diamonds, gold, silver, crystals, pearls and coral all exist under one roof.
No matter what season you decide to travel, there is a lot to see in Alexandria. Apart from all of its famous attractions and many outdoor restaurants and cafes, it is a great city for outdoor activities such as jogging, picnics, swimming and walking on the beach.