The city of Alexandria has a very different feel from Cairo, due both to its location on the Mediterranean and to its illustrious past. Its organized grid streets, European buildings, pedestrian malls, and high-end shops make its downtown feel almost cosmopolitan. Combine this with its medieval fortress and lovely Corniche on the sea, and you’ll see a completely different side of Egypt in this Mediterranean city.
Alexandria may not boast the famous attractions of Cairo or Luxor, but what it does have makes a visit worthwhile. In fact, there is so much to see, that we are presenting Alexandria in two posts. In this post, we look at its more recent history; in the other post, we explore Alexandria’s ancient roots.
Library of Alexandria
From its early days, Alexandria was a centre of learning, arts and science. To encourage these intellectual pursuits, Alexander the Great founded a library. It was once the largest in the world and at its height, this library was more than a repository of books; it was a place for scholars, philosophers and scientists to share ideas. Its Mediterranean location drew intellectuals from around the world and provided a space to exchange their knowledge and philosophies. Unfortunately, the building and the ancient manuscripts it housed were destroyed. The cause of the destruction is under debate. One cause is a 1st century BCE fire, but most damage is thought to have resulted from neglect during Arab rule.
The modern library is a tribute to this prestigious history. In addition to housing a typical library, the building also has a planetarium, an antiquity museum and a manuscripts museum. The building itself is not particularly interesting or picturesque, but we were keen to see its ancient manuscripts. They display replica samples of the Book of the Dead on papyrus rolls, several 10th to 17th century Qurans, as well as Arabic literature, science and mathematics texts.
Entry fee – Library is 150 EGP ($2.25 USD), plus 60 EGP ($1.20 USD ) for the Manuscripts Museum, 100 EGP ($2 USD) for the Antiquity Museum, and the Planetarium is 200 EGP ($4 USD). Payment only by cash. Opening Hours – 9:30 am – 4 pm; on weekends, it closes at 2 pm.
Fort Qaitbey and Alexandria Lighthouse
Standing on the edge of the Mediterranean, the 15th century fortress has a very imposing appearance. Not only is the location prominent, but it is also very prestigious as the site of the 3rd century BCE Alexandria Lighthouse. Originally built on Pharos Island, today, the island is a peninsula, and the lighthouse is at the bottom of the sea.
This three-story lighthouse is considered a marvel of engineering. For example, it had an ingenious design that used mirrors to reflect the sun during the day and a flame at night to guide ships safely to port. Remarkably, this ancient lighthouse stood for 17 centuries. It’s no wonder that it was one of the 7 Wonders of the Ancient World. However, it came to an end in the 14th century when an earthquake toppled the lighthouse, and it sank to the bottom of the sea. Parts of it were found and brought to the surface, allowing researchers to understand its size and how it worked.
The collapse of the lighthouse left a defensive void in Alexandria, so in the 15th century, Sultan al-Ashraf Qaitbay from the Mamluk Dynasty erected the double-walled Qaitbay Citadel and a protective Breakwater.
The fort was needed to protect the city from Ottoman attacks. This worked for a while, but eventually the Ottomans breached its walls and conquered the city. Ironically, they then used the fortress for their own military. This original citadel, however, sustained significant damage from the British in 1882, and the subsequent restorations continued over the next hundred years.
Your visit begins by walking between the 8m (26 ft) tall double walls. Built into those walls were small rooms used for storage.
Once inside the walls, you get a full view of the main three-story building, standing on the edge of the sea. It’s not a large building, but it is in excellent condition after recent restoration.
Inside, narrow stone stairwells let you climb between the three floors. On each level, long hallways wrap around the building’s interior. Branching off these halls are several rooms that had a variety of purposes, including government business, weapons storage, barracks, as well as a large mosque. On the top floor, small windows set in the thick stone walls were only large enough for an archer to shoot from. Later, canons replaced the bows and arrows.
Today it is peaceful, but it’s easy to imagine medieval soldiers and commanders crowding into these tight spaces.
One of the best parts of visiting the citadel is walking on top of the ramparts for views of the city and the colourful fishing boats anchored in the Eastern Harbour below.
If you happen to follow any Alexandrian teenage girls’ Facebook or IG pages, you may see pictures of Maggie and her teenage paparazzi. We took their excitement at posing for selfies with Maggie as a sign that tourists aren’t as common in Alexandria as in the rest of Egypt.
Entry fee – 200 EGP ($4 USD), payment only by credit/debit card; Opening Hours – 9 am – 7 pm; in winter it closes at 5 pm. Time Needed – Plan to spend an hour and a half at the citadel.
Corniche
The city makes excellent use of its placement on the Mediterranean with its long Corniche. Enjoyed by Alexandrians throughout the day, the boardwalk is prettiest at sunset. You can walk all the way from Fort Qaitbey at one end of the Eastern Harbour to the Alexandria Library on the other.
European Buildings
Between 1830 and 1930, the city experienced a large migration of Europeans from the Mediterranean. They were attracted to the government’s plans to modernize Egypt. At that time, Italy and Greece were economically depressed, so their citizens were drawn to the potential opportunity in Alexandria. As a result, you can see many European-style buildings in the blocks reaching out from the Corniche. Making your exploration even more enjoyable are the many pedestrianized streets in this district.
Even though not all of them are at their best, they do give you a glimpse of these more glamorous times. If you combine the buildings with the old taxi cabs and horse-drawn carriages, you can see the city’s unique personality.
A few blocks away from this European area, though, you are reminded that you are in Egypt. To begin with, the traffic is disorganized, but also the labyrinth of streets is covered in garbage, and dilapidated apartment buildings line the sides.
Alexandria Opera House
The Europeans brought with them many of their cultural preferences, including an opera house. Built in Renaissance Revival style in the early 1900s, the building is very elegant. Over its lifetime, it had several names. It was originally named Mohammed Ali Theatre for the Pasha, and was renamed Sayed Darwish Theatre for the Egyptian musician and composer. Today it goes by the name Alexandria Opera House and hosts operas, ballets, and concerts.
St. Mark’s Coptic Cathedral
Alexandria has a long history with Christianity. In fact, the city was the first place in Egypt where the Apostle St. Mark began preaching the Bible in the 40s AD. Soon after his visit, the Coptic Church of Egypt was established. There are no buildings from that era, but there are still a few Coptic churches in the city. Originally, a 4th century church occupied the space where St. Mark’s Coptic Cathedral now stands. It is believed to have housed relics of St. Mark.
Today, the 20th century cathedral is set in a lovely courtyard, enclosed by heritage administrative buildings.
Inside, it is elegantly understated, with chandeliers hanging below a long barrel roof. At the front is a silver iconostasis with portraits of saints.
If you’re interested, you can see more Coptic Churches in Cairo. Please visit our post, Coptic Cairo and Garbage City, for more information.
Because of continual threats of terrorist attacks, you will likely see a lot of security around the church and the synagogue across the street. Before entering the church complex, you must pass through metal detectors and leave your passports with security. When we visited, a heavily armed guard holding a Kalashnikov gave us a big smile as he pointed to the church’s main entrance. His friendly demeanour made us think there wasn’t much of a threat at that time.
Eliyahu Hanavi Synagogue
Across the street from St. Mark’s, is the stone Eliyahu Hanavi Synagogue, dating from 1850. Today, there is a very small Jewish population in the city, and the synagogue is rarely open to the general public.
Extra things to do if you have time
- Sidi Morsi Abu al-Abbas Mosque – This ornate 13th century mosque-mausoleum comes highly recommended and is not far from downtown.
- Montaza Palace – Built in 1892 by Khedive Abbas II, the palace looks very elegant, but is 18 km from Alexandria Centre.
How to get to Alexandria
Fly – You can fly into Borg El Arab Airport, but it is located about 45 km (28 miles) from the city centre. It receives flights from within Egypt and a few from Europe.
Bus – You can also travel by bus from Cairo with GoBus (3 hours), or from Siwa on WestBus (6 – 8 hours).
Train – Another option is the train from Cairo, but they are notoriously late.
Where to eat in Alexandria
You can find several good restaurants located on the streets around the Corniche. A great choice for an authentic Egyptian meal is Old Street Restaurant and Café. For coffee, we recommend Al Korba Coffee. Its design is similar to a heritage coffee house, adorned with traditional Arabic furnishings, lights, and golden accents.
Where to stay in Alexandria
There aren’t a lot of options for hotels, but most are found along the corniche. We read that it is very loud at night, so we stayed in a nice apartment near the Opera House.
There are also several hotels along the coast, further away from the city, but it would be best to have a car to stay there.
To read more of our adventures in Egypt, click here.
Coming Next – What To See In Siwa, Egypt
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