Alexandria

This is the shining pearl of the Mediterranean coast, the second largest city and main Egyptian port.
Alexandria was built by the Greek architect Dinocratis (332 A.D). The city immortalizes Alexandria’s name, which flourished beyond all expectations into a prominent cultural, intellectual and economic metropolis, the remains of which are still evident to this day. Alexandria is one of the most famous summer resorts in the Middle East.
*Main Sites to be visited in Alexandria:
The Graeco-Roman Museum:
It houses a good collection of rare Roman relics and coins, almost 40 thousand pieces dating back from the 3rd century B.C to the 7th century.
Pompie’s Pillar:
It is considered the symbol of Alexandria. It is a granite pillar, over 25m height and built amidst the ruins of the Serapeum in 297 A.D in honour of Emperor Dioclatine.
Qayetebay fort:
It was built on the northern tip of the eastern port and on the site of the ancient Pharos of Alexandria. The fort has three levels similar to the medieval fortresses. It also houses the naval museum comprising Alexandria’s old naval heritage.
Catacombs of Kom Al Shokafa:
This is the largest Roman cemetery. It consists of three levels cut in the rock. It is almost 30 m deep. Dating back to the beginning of the 2nd century A.D, it is a blend of pharaonic and Roman art.
The Anfushi Tombs:
Limestone tombs, dating from about 250 BC and painted to simulate alabaster and marble, decorated with pictures of Egyptian gods and daily life and graffiti dating from the same period.

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About Egypt

Egypt is the cradle of civilization, the beacon of religion , the gateway of Africa , Asia and above all Egypt is the gift of the Nile .For over fifty centuries, Egypt pioneered the development of culture and civilization through the Pharaonic, Roman, Christian and Islamic periods .
The history of Egypt is the longest continuous history; and is broken into different periods according to the dynasty of the ruling Pharoah. The history dates back to 3300 BC and consists of 30 Dynasties.
When Alexander the Great conquered Egypt in 332 BC and established his own Pharaonic rule,He reorganized the country's government, founded a new capital city of Alexandria and authenticated the Pharaohs religion .
After the death of Alexander in 323BC, the empire was divided among his Macedonian generals. Ptolemy I founded the Ptolemaic Dynasty that ruled Egypt for three centuries. Under the Ptolemaic Dynasty, Greek became the official language of Egypt and a Hellenistic culture thrived .
It should be mentioned that the dynastic history of Ptolemaic Egypt is very confusing, because all the male rulers of the dynasty took the name Ptolemy, and many of them married their sisters, who were often called Cleopatra, Arsinoe or Berenice. The most famous member was the last Ptolemaic queen, Cleopatra VII.
After 300 years of rule by the Macedonian Ptolemies, Egypt was incorporated into the Roman Empire in 30 BC , and was ruled first from Rome and then from Constantinople until the Arab conquest.
Islam began in Egypt through the Arab invasion from 639 to 1517 . During this period several Islamic dynasties were formed : Tulunids, Ikhshids, Fatimids, Ayyubids, and Mamluks . The Ottoman period followed and was ruled by Mohammed Ali's family whose reign lasted until 1952 .
During the revolution of July 23 rd 1952 Egypt converted from Royal regime to Republic and Gamal Abdel Nasser became the Head of State. He nationalised the Suez Canal in 1956, built the Aswan High Dam and faced the Wars with Israel 1956 to 1967. President Sadat followed and during his term the 6 th of October 1973 occurred and the Peace Treaty , between Egypt and Israel was signed in 1979 President Sadat was assassinated in1981 and is succeeded by the current President, Hosni Mubarak.

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