Source: Thedailystar
clockwise from top left: Library of Alexandria, Al-Haramlik Palace, Inside Alexandria National Museum, View of the Mediterranean from Montazah Royal GardensKarim Waheed
When Alexander the Great arrived here, around 331 BC, I reckon he saw and experienced what I did — brilliantly clear sky, the deep blue Mediterranean and the ever-soothing breeze it brings. Anyone in his/her right mind would immediately fall in love with this place. Naturally, the conqueror did too and thus founded a city by the sea and named it after himself.
Around 48 BC, Julius Caesar arrived here, then Egypt’s capital. It was here where the Roman general met Cleopatra and fell in love. The modern world may know Cleopatra as the ‘ultimate seductress’ [largely, thanks to Hollywood], but ancient accounts say otherwise. Greek historian Plutarch insisted that while she was not as striking as legend would have us believe, she possessed an “irresistible charm”.
This “irresistible charm” is what characterises Alexandria, the second largest city in Egypt.
What sets Alexandria, or Al-Iskanda-riyyah [in Arabic], apart from the rest of Egypt is its Greco-Roman character. The Greeks embraced the Pharaonic traditions and left a heritage that proudly shows off that identity. All this was later assimilated into the Islamic Egypt. This fusion is apparent everywhere. Take the ubiquitous Greek key pattern on street dividers with palm trees and oleander bushes, for example.
What to see
This is an archaeology/ history/ art/ food/ photography enthusiast’s paradise. For me it was “so much to see, so little time”. There are the obvious tourist attractions. However, if you’re adventurous, you’ll find yourself in places and spot things that are not listed in brochures but are awe-inspiring nevertheless.
The Corniche: Alexandria’s main artery, running along the Mediterranean. Perfect place for a waterfront stroll. The breeze…the shimmering blue sea…the wide sidewalk. There are many restaurants and cafes [both traditional and hip] on the Corniche where you can relax, smoke shisha, have Turkish coffee or enjoy fresh seafood.
Montazah Palace: The summer palace of the kings. Initially built [in 1892] as a hunting lodge — the Salamlek Palace — by Khedive Abbas II. The larger Al-Haramlik Palace and royal gardens were added by King Fuad I in 1932. The architecture combines Turkish and Florentine styles. The palace has two towers, one rising distinctively high above, and long open arcades facing the sea. President Anwar El-Sadat renovated the original Salamlek Palace as an official presidential residence. The expansive royal gardens [on 150 acres] are open to the public. If you want romance and ambiance, this is “the” place to be.
Library of Alexandria: Not the largest and most significant library of the ancient world, which was lost in antiquity, but a commemoration of it. And a grand commemoration it is! This colossal library and cultural centre — officially inaugurated on October 16, 2002 — is located on the shore of the Mediterranean Sea. It’s an attempt to rekindle the brilliance that the original library represented. The Library of Alexandria or ‘Bibliotheca Alexandrina’ is trilingual — containing books in Arabic, English and French. The architecture is striking. The main reading room stands beneath a 32-metre-high glass-panelled roof, tilted out toward the sea like a sundial. The walls are of grey granite, carved with characters from 120 different scripts, including Bengali. To me, it looked like an alien spacecraft. The complex also houses a conference centre; specialised libraries for maps, multimedia, the blind and visually impaired, young people and children; four museums; four art galleries for temporary exhibitions; 15 permanent exhibitions; a spherical planetarium; and a manuscript restoration laboratory. I felt like a kid in a candy store.
Alexandria National Museum: Located in a restored Italian style building on Fouad Street, the museum houses about 1800 artefacts. The first floor is dedicated to the Pharaonic period. On display are several notable statues, including portraits of Menkaure [builder of the third pyramid in Giza], Akhenaten [Amenhotep IV] and the female pharaoh Hatshepsut. The second floor displays artefacts from the Greco-Roman period, during which Alexandria flourished, such as figurines of Greek women and a majestic bust of the bearded god Serapis. Also on this level are finds from underwater excavations conducted around Alexandria. The top floor displays Coptic and Islamic treasures. There are icons of Christ and the Virgin Mary, carved tombstones and clothes embellished with silver and gold thread work. Notable among the Islamic objects are 162 coins minted in Alexandria, incense burners, chandeliers and pottery.
Fouad Street: A walk down this street, considered one of the oldest in the city, can take you from one era to another without the hassles of time travelling. To my surprise I saw buildings — practically rubbing each other’s shoulders — flaunting Ottoman, neo-Hellenic and Florentine influences.
There’s more. There’s the Citadel of Qaitbay — a 15th century fortress located on the Mediterranean coast, built upon/from the ruins of the Lighthouse of Alexandria. There’s Abul-Abbas Mosque in the Bahari area — Alexandria’s largest and one of the most important Islamic monuments. Arguably, the best kofta kebab and the freshest seafood…koshari [a mix of rice, lentils, chickpeas and macaroni topped with tomato sauce and fried onion] that is as popular in Egypt as kachchi biryani is here…List of attractions can be endless.
Alexandrians are generally laid back and high-spirited. This city sleeps late. In summer, apparently it doesn’t sleep at all.
Like all cities, Alexandria has its blemishes — accumulated trash on some street corner, crazy driving, frustrating traffic… These flaws were not a deal breaker for me though; I’m from Dhaka. If anything, I felt more connected…the city of Alexander and Cleopatra, with its uber exotic facade, seemed more accessible.
GREEK WORLD MEDIA 