Alexandria
| Alexandria | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| |||
 | |||
| Administration | |||
| Country |  Egypt | ||
| Governor | Adel Labeeb | ||
| Geography | |||
| Contact | 31 12 '00 "North 29 55 '00 "East / 31.2, 29.916667 | ||
| Area | 267 900 ha = 2 679 km 2 | ||
| Demography | |||
| Population | 4,388,219 inhab. (2010) | ||
| Density | 1 638 inhabitants / km 2 | ||
| Location | |||
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Alexandria , was founded in -331 by Alexander the Great. It became in the ancient world 's first port of Egypt , the country's capital and one of the greatest cultural centers of the Mediterranean Sea , centered on the famous Library , which established his reputation. This is the second largest city.
The city of Alexandria is located west of the Nile Delta , between Mareotis lake and the island of Pharos. It is attached to this island by the Heptastadium , which is a kind of dike also used for water , which not only allowed the extension of the city but also the creation of two ports at sea.
Origin
Plutarch in his Life of Alexander, tells how one night, -331 , so that Alexander the Great planned to build his city of Egypt , he dreams of Homer , who speaks of the island of Pharos:
"Then to the rolling sea, there is an island. Ahead of Egypt and is called Pharos. "
- The Odyssey, IV, v. 355
Upon awakening, he went to see the island and begins to trace the contours of the city on the coast in front of him.
Elements which is fertile wonderful legend of Alexander do not exclude more rational explanations into the site itself. Homer had indicated a highly favorable location:
"A strip of land like a sufficiently wide isthmus that extends between a large lagoon (the lake Mareotis ) and the Sea "
- Plutarch, Life of Alexander IX, 7
Starting again in his conquest of the Persian Empire , Alexander says to Cleomenes of Naucratis (a Greek colony in Egypt in the Delta ) and Rhodes Dinocrates building the city , designed on an orthogonal, or checkerboard, with broad avenues intersecting at right angles.
There are several theories about it. The city of Alexandria was built on the ancient city of Rakhotis, but there is little documentation about it. There are three hypotheses about Rakhotis:
- For some, Rakhotis was a mere fishing village;
- For others, the term rakhotis could be translated as "the building", which would relate to the first buildings worthy of that name built by the Greeks, close to or in place of the same fishing village or a guardhouse ;
- Others believe that even rakhotis mean "the area" and would not be a city but the name given by the Egyptians in the city of Alexandria at the time of its construction. Indeed, much of Alexandria was built a block long and had to have the appearance of a site.
What is known about this area before Alexandria was cited by some Greek and Roman writers who mention established populations on wetlands surrounding the area. Heliodorus tells us that the Egyptians called it "the land of shepherds." The region had a bad reputation: "That's where all the robbers in Egypt have their city." The area also appears in many Greek legends.
It was not the only city Alexandria built by the Macedonian, in effect, we counted thirty-two. This was known as Alexandria ad Aegyptum ("Alexandria of Egypt") or Alexandria apud Aegyptum (that is to say "outside of Egypt" ) and has now become Iskanderia. Before it, another town in the delta had been occupied by the Greeks but they had been given by Amasis : these Naucratis a emporion or "port of trade." It is situated about 70 km inland, and it had little significance outside its commercial role. Alexander the Great wanted to build on the Alexandria coast, despite the poor quality of the land (Lake Mareotis) in this area and the coast particularly dangerous in this area of the delta.
The city begins to become important only when Ptolemy son of Lagos , founder of the Ptolemaic dynasty , settled there and made it the capital of Egypt, he had received shares after the death of 'Alexander, -323.
In the first half of the third century before our era , under the first two Ptolemies, it is covered with magnificent monuments and takes the appearance that she will keep until the end of antiquity, with its gardens and monuments Design Greek: the Ras el Tin palace on the sea, museum and library, Soma (or SEMA, the tomb of Alexander the Great), Serapeum (temple dedicated to the god Serapis Greco-Egyptian), Temple of Isis, markets, theater and especially the famous lighthouse tower erected by Sostratus of Cnidus on the island of Pharos, who gave his name to this type of monument.
For nearly a millennium, until the Arab conquest in 641 , Alexandria remained the intellectual and spiritual capital of part of the Mediterranean world, after having been for the last three centuries before our era, the political capital of the Hellenistic Egypt. The school of Alexandria played a prominent role in the field of science and mathematics. From Euclid to Ptolemy , there are not scientists who lived there or stayed there, bringing breakthroughs, particularly in the history of astronomy.
From the founding of Alexandria and the Greek occupation, Egypt will become a province of Hellenism, and his administration, although it retains some aspects of ancient Pharaonic administration, is strongly influenced by the ideas Greek. The official language is Greek, although the ancient Egyptian , in its demotic , is still spoken in rural areas and if the priests retain the ancient religious ideas and still cover the temples of hieroglyphics, more and more charged and enriched new signs. Even the temples, constructed according to traditional models, undergo changes in detail. It was at this time that the independent mammisi as monuments, capitals of columns that multiply indefinitely in their sets and heavier, as walls are built in between the columns.
Roman Domination
In -47 , the troops of Julius Caesar burned the fleet of Alexandria, the fire spread to the warehouses and with different interpretations, it destroys some of the great library or savings. Octavian Augustus terminates after the naval battle of Actium in -30 , not only to Roman civil wars (liquidation of Marc Anthony), but also to Egyptian independence (until the nineteenth century ). The province is governed by a prefect. After the first time of annexation, the city seems to have regained prosperity because of the direct rule by the imperial power in Egypt since wheat is essential for distributions to the Roman plebs. It is an important military port. In 215 , Caracalla visited the city, and following satires, ordered his troops to kill all men capable of bearing arms. This order is not executed, it would have been impractical for his guard, certainly less than 5000 men, eliminating about 200 000 adults physically able to defend themselves.
Then takes up a puzzle: in 215 the Roman emperor Caracalla, as many people visit the tomb of Alexander, one of the main monuments of the city, he even tries his armor! But in the year 300 , an author declares that no one knows where the tomb of Alexander! How a city of 500,000 inhabitants, cultural center, she could well be forgotten in two generations where his most famous monument? It seems not only very major events took place in Alexandria during this period (but the third century is not known). The mystery remains, archaeologists and historians are still searching.
In this same third century , the ancient hieroglyphic writing ceases to be taught and understood. The use of mummification also disappears. Christianity seems to have completely erased the memory of Egypt . The mathematician and philosopher Neoplatonic Hypatia was murdered in 415 by Christians. These events mark the decline of the Alexandrian school, whose knowledge gradually migrate to Byzantium, but suffering substantial losses.
Neighborhoods Brucheum and Jewish are destroyed fifth century and their central monuments, the spum and Mouseion , falling apart. Life revolves around the so Serapeum and Caesareum transformed into a church. The districts of Pharos and the Heptastadium returning population and remain intact.
The Arab conquest
Alexandria was conquered by the Persians in 616 by Chosroes , king of Persia. The city is recovered by the empire to 630. In 640 , General Arab 'Amr ibn al-'As began a siege of forty months. The city gets no help from Constantinople , the Emperor Heraclius dies and the new Emperor Constantine III who reigned only four months, leaving power to his son for eleven years. In November 641 , Alexandria, evacuated by the Greeks, the patriarch is delivered by the troops of Cyrus' Amr, despite a vain attempt to Byzantine reconquest in 645 , the city will now under Arab rule. The Greeks who go to Egypt is mostly traders, the system of land ownership is not changed, and the Arabs receive pay mostly in kind. They provide a guard rotation in Alexandria seafront and Khirbet facing the desert. Amr wrote to Caliph Omar ibn al-Khattab that he has taken a city containing:
- 4000 Palace
- 4000 public baths,
- 12 000 vendors of fresh oil,
- 12 000 gardeners
- 40 000 Jews who pay tribute,
- 400 theaters or entertainment venue.
Virtually disappears with the Arabs the old Egyptian language and the ancient knowledge amassed in the city . Nevertheless, many historians attribute the destruction of culture and knowledge Greco-Roman and the Library of Alexandria , to clashes between Christians and pagans in the Christianization of the city at IV century under the patriarchate of Cyril , .
The medieval period
The medieval remains of Alexandria, until now little studied. The city was described by contemporary Arab authors. The great Maimonides made an appearance there before going to Cairo and Saladin founded a waqf, a foundation of punches in the twelfth century: the founding document, one of the oldest of its kind, was found there short time Modern History In modern times, the city of Alexandria experienced a significant expansion. Indeed, the medieval town was on the mainland by a fortified enclosure. The modern city was built on the ruins of the ancient city which makes excavation difficult. In July 1882 , the city was bombed by the Royal Navy and British occupied. The city was designed by Rhodes Dinocrates along planes hippodamian (checkerboard). Its most important monuments are the gymnasium, discatrion (court), Soma (or SEMA, the tomb of Alexander). The palace covers one quarter of the city: light construction, it forms Neapolis (Museum, Library, drama). The port is split into two by a pier (Heptastadium) which brings the city to the island of Pharos , where stands the lighthouse, built by Sostratus of Cnidus. Water from the Nile is distributed through a tight network of pipes connected to a channel. After his defeat by Julius Caesar in the civil war, Pompey fled to Egypt where he was assassinated in -48 ; mediaeval travelers later believed he must be buried here. In reality, this is a column of red granite of Aswan twenty-five feet high, with a circumference of nine feet, built in honor of Emperor Diocletian in the late fourth century. Diocletius captured Alexandria after besieged. The Arabs called it "el-Amud Sawari 'column of the columns. This column is the largest ancient monument in Alexandria, originally in the temple of Serapis , which was once a magnificent structure rivaling the Soma and Caesareum. Nearby, there are subterranean galleries where sacred Apis bulls were buried, and three sphinxes. The Catacombs of Kom el Chouqafa are the largest Roman burial site in Egypt known today. Their discovery dated 28 September 1900 and is one of the most important archaeological sites in Alexandria. This tomb complex, built in the late first century was used until the early fourth century. These tombs were carved into the rock to a wealthy family still practicing the ancient religion. They represent the last existing main building of the ancient Egyptian religion. Although burial grounds are pure ancient Egyptian, the architects and artists have been inspired by Greco-Roman models. A winding staircase descends several levels deep into the ground, with little chapels opening onto him, furnished with benches for visitors bringing offerings. At the center of the facade, the familiar solar disk is surmounted by a frieze of serpents, left and right two snakes are the crowns of Lower Egypt and Upper Egypt. They are not like cobras Saqqara or Thebes : they seem to be designed as a modern comic. In the chamber of the tomb, the decor includes Horus , Thoth , Anubis , the priest in his panther skin, and the king making an offering to the dead form of Osiris. These figures are rendered in Greco-Roman style. Traditional scenes added additional groups of grapes, Medusa heads, and a variety of Greek and Roman designs. The island of Pharos separated two huge ports. Located at the northern entrance of the port in the east, the fort was built in the 1480s by Sultan Al-Ashraf Sayf al-Din Qa'it Bay , the location of the Lighthouse of Alexandria. One of the seven wonders of antiquity, the lighthouse was 135 feet high with approximately three hundred rooms. Through the center was a double spiraling. The lantern on top of the lighthouse remains a mystery. Some say it contained a polished steel mirror that reflected light by day and fire by night. Others say it was made of transparent glass. The lighthouse was destroyed by an earthquake around 1302/1303. In its place, a mosque was built, which was damaged by an earthquake in the fourteenth century. Built in medieval style, the fort was completely restored in 2001/2002, it houses the Marine Museum which contains articles and Roman naval battles of Napoleon. The entrance is through a passage in red Aswan granite. Near the mosque there is a tank that was used to store water in case of siege. Adjacent to the fort, the hydro-biological Institute contains a wide variety of rare fish. Further east of the district Anfouchi, there is a small cemetery with five tombs dating from the Ptolemaic period. It is a small Roman amphitheater, unique in the country. The site is still under excavation for over thirty years with the discovery of Roman remains including this theater with galleries, sections of mosaic flooring, and marble seats for up to 800 spectators. At the time of the Ptolemies, this area was a garden of delights. The theater may have been covered to serve as an Odeon for musical works. The inscriptions suggest it was also sometimes used for wrestling contests. The theater features thirteen semi-circular rows of white marble that was imported from Europe. Its columns are of green marble imported from Asia Minor, and red granite imported from Aswan. Each side is decorated with geometric mosaic paving. Outside the theater, we can see the arches and stone walls, brick Roman baths and remains of Roman houses. It is within the precincts of this website that is installing the new underwater museum in the open to expose antiques - sphinxes, obelisks, columns and papyrus fragments of colossal statues - Output Water Mediterranean by the crew of Alexandrian Studies Centre. Near this site, to the fire station, a Ptolemaic temple dedicated to Bastet has been discovered by a team of Egyptian archaeologists , this temple would be built at the request of Queen Berenice , wife of Ptolemy III benefactor. About six hundred statues, including several in the image of Bastet, have also been discovered. Founded in 1892, the Greco-Roman Museum in Alexandria was first built in a small building on the road Horreya. In 1895 he was transferred to the current location near the road of Gamal Abdul Nasser. It houses thousands of relics dating from - third century , including a magnificent black granite sculpture of Apis , the sacred bull of Egyptian mummies, sarcophagi, tapestries, objects offering a panorama as faithful as varied civilization Greco-Roman as she has put in contact with Egypt. The museum, currently under complete renovation, is closed to the public, his collections are stored in various reserves. Housed in a former palace of King Farouk , it includes all jewelry and valuables belonging to the royal family since the early nineteenth century. Chess for Mehemet Ali , set with precious stones to 1506 the crown jewels of Queen Farida, you imagine being in a fairy tale. Housed in the former American consulate, he can observe many objects from different eras of Egypt, Pharaonic, Christian, Muslim ... Former blockaus basement is devoted to antiquities of Pharaonic times. These gardens are surrounded by high walls on the south, east and west, and a beach to the north. This area belonged to the family of Mohammed Ali, ruling family of the mid- nineteenth century until 1952. Construction was begun in 1892 by King Abbas II, who built a great palace called Salamlek. In 1932, King Fouad I. built a larger palace and called it the Haramlik. His son, King Farouk, built the jetty over the sea The remaining area consists of gardens. The famous library of Alexandria was built in the Ptolemaic period and was renowned for the richness and the large number of books it contained (estimated at 700,000 volumes). The causes of its destruction are still unclear and are subject to debate. It was after a huge fire that the fire had ravaged the 700 000 volumes. As part of a project conducted jointly between UNESCO and Egypt, the library of the Mediterranean world ( Bibliotheca Alexandrina ) was built on the ruins of the old ancient building. She should be able to accommodate approximately five million volumes. The architecture of the library had been carefully chosen after a competition that was organized by UNESCO and is the proposal of a Norwegian architectural firm had been retained. The plan was made by the Egyptian engineer Mamdouh Hamza. Besides the reading room is three museums, five research institutes and exhibition halls. Inside the library, reading rooms are seven levels including four under the sea level from high columns with lotus flowers decorate the interior of the reading rooms that can accommodate up to 2000 people. A museum is dedicated to thousands of ancient manuscripts, including two copies of the Bible presented by the Vatican to the Library and a copy of the book of Description of Egypt. He has an identical copy of the Rosetta Stone and a book of the memorandum of the inauguration of the Suez Canal including tables ceremony trip queens and princes, designed by the artist of Khedive Ismail. A dream worthy of Jules Verne could become reality in Alexandria: an underwater museum to gaze in situ the remains of his ancient city. The French architect Jacques Rougerie has participated in 2005 in an international competition by designing a structure, half land and half underwater, anchored in the bay, facing the Bibliotheca Alexandrina. Filtering the water of the bay, loaded with silt and polluted, ensure good visibility. The Unesco would support this project which should serve as a flagship cultural heritage underwater world. The largest mosque in the city is the mosque of Al-Mursi Abul Abbas, located near Fort Qaitbay. The dimensions of the city are far more important than those of most other cities of antiquity. According to some authors, the enclosure surrounding the city was long a couple of kilometers. This place has changed since its construction which is problematic for replenishments. Indeed the original ramparts were extended in Roman times and another speaker was built in the eleventh century by Sultan Ahmad Ibn Tulun. Besides several blocks of original wall was reused for the construction of the Arab wall. The Heptastadium (Greek: seven stages long) that connects the coast to Pharos was built by Dinocrates , the same who made the city plan. With the Heptastadium, the coast has been arranged so that it has two ports, one east and one west. This is often the case in Greek civilization, to facilitate the arrival of the sailing ships, which are subject to the vagaries of the wind. The coast of Alexandria is a dangerous area and the boats have suffered greatly. Western Harbour (Port Eunostos) is large but surrounded by a barrier reef mentioned by Strabo and follows the axis of the island of Pharos. He kept another artificial port, the Kibotos (Greek: box, rectangular). The eastern port (Grand Port) is protected by a peninsula and the tip of the island of Pharos which stood the lighthouse , but his approach is dangerous because its entrance is very narrow. In addition it is subject to the winds of the Northeast and the sea is completely open up the port. Indeed, it has found many boats Greek and Roman ( fourth century BC. the seventh century ) stranded off the port. Alexandria has an arid climate with an annual rainfall of only 189 mm. Rainfall only take place in winter, the wettest month is December with 52 mm. Temperatures do not know any excessive variations and remain comfortable regardless of the season, thanks to the moderating effect of the Mediterranean Sea. At its peak, the ancient city is populated by over a million inhabitants: Greeks, Egyptians, Syrians, Italians later. The Jews (cf. -319 ) formed two-fifths of the population. Their rivalry with the Greeks often leads to serious disorders. The city is administered in appearance itself (ball, Ecclesia organized by Athenian model). The magistrate seems the most important gymnast , who appears as the representative of citizens. It is the only true city ( polis ) of Egypt. Political center of the Ptolemaic kingdom , home to the huge bureaucracy that administers Egypt. She is also the center of intense economic activity (terracotta vases or metal, cloth, papyrus , perfumes, luxury items). Only true port of Egypt on the Mediterranean, it imports wood, metal, marble, wine, olive oil and exports of wheat, papyrus, paintings and muslin linen, perfumes and other luxury goods. It then sends goods from Black Africa (ivory, gold, ostrich feathers, slaves, wild animals), Arabia and India (spices, herbs, perfumes, silk). The opening of the Suez Canal in 1869 marked a new era in Alexandria: she became the principal place of business of the country and its port, the first in the country. A brilliant, cosmopolitan society moves: Greeks, Italians, French, "Levantine", but also Egyptian minorities such as Copts and Jews make up this rich society, which largely disappears under Nasser. The city proletarianizes then, with the influx of immigrants from Suez and Port Said , in 1967. In the early twenty-first century, the city's economy is based on its port, its industry and, despite some degradation, tourism. The port of Alexandria (20.6 million tons in 1991) has a "hinterland" broad and wide. It has a virtual monopoly of Egyptian exports, especially cotton and imports three-quarters of foreign products. Alexandria is also an industrial city: refineries, cement, shipbuilding, textiles, leather, paper, food, chemical and mechanical. Finally, despite the paucity of remains of ancient and Islamic periods, Alexandria is a great tourist spot. Resort to the more pleasant climate in the hinterland, it attracts each summer the middle and upper classes of Cairo. Alexandria has an airport (El Nouzha IATA : ALY ). Note finally, an Egyptian university recognized, and the presence of the University of Senghor , international francophone university created in 1990. The city has a long sporting tradition, having hosted the 1951 Mediterranean Games and 1953 Pan Arab Games. It has many stages, like stage of Alexandria , one of the oldest in the country, with 13,660 seats, the stadium Borg Al Arab , one of the largest in the country with 86 000 seats, or the stage El Max. There are many football clubs in the city, some of which have dominated for a time the Egyptian league : Victory A coach walks tourists A building A building Park Election 2005: Portrait of Hosny Mubarak A taxi from Alexandria A car veiled The tram of Alexandria The tram network Saad statue up Zahgloul Alexandrian shore along the jetty A city construction site City of Alexandria in 1553 by Pierre Belon Greek Orthodox Cathedral in Alexandria Greek Orthodox Cathedral in Alexandria Greek Orthodox Cathedral in Alexandria Greek Orthodox Cathedral in Alexandria A mosque (detail) A mosque (front) Ibrahim Mosque Terbana Ibrahim Mosque Terbana Ibrahim Mosque Terbana Ibrahim Mosque Terbana Ibrahim Mosque Terbana Akhenaten Tombstone National Museum of Alexandria National Museum of Alexandria National Museum of Alexandria National Museum of Alexandria National Museum of Alexandria National Museum of Alexandria National Museum of Alexandria National Museum of Alexandria National Museum of Alexandria National Museum of Alexandria National Museum of Alexandria Statue of Ptolemy III appeared in the form of the god Thoth - Hermes Tent Corinthian 
The old Alexandria
Column of Diocletian (Pompey's Pillar)
The necropolis
Gabbari
Catacombs of Kom el Chouqafa
Anfouchi
The fort Qaitbay
Amphitheatre at Kom el Dick
The Greco-Roman Museum
The museum of the royal jewels
The National Museum of Alexandria
The gardens of Montazah
The Bibliotheca Alexandrina
Underwater Museum
Mosque
The ancient port
Geography
Climate
months January February March April May jul. jul. Aug. September October November December year Average minimum temperature ( C ) 8,7 9,0 10,8 13,5 16,3 20,0 22,5 22,9 21,0 17,4 13,8 10,2 15,1 Mean Temperature ( C) 13,4 13,9 15,7 18,5 21,2 24,3 25,9 26,3 25,1 22,0 18,7 14,9 20,0 Average maximum temperature ( C) 18,4 19,2 20,4 24,4 26,7 28,8 29,9 30,1 29,6 27,5 23,9 20,1 24,9 Rainfall ( mm ) 51 27 13 4 1 0 0 0 1 11 29 52 189 Economy and Society
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Today
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Alexandria - The Town
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Alexandria - Religions
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Alexandria - National Museum
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References
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