Alexandria back to Greatness
Situated on the Mediterranean along Egypt’s north coast, Alexandria is a city of legend. This is where Euclid sired geometry, Aristarchus deduced that the Earth revolved around the sun (about 18 centuries before Copernicus) and, of course, the young Alexander the Great founded the city as his capital in 331 B.C.
The city flourished through the 19th century as the hub of Egypt’s commerce, especially the cotton trade, drawing a cosmopolitan mix of Greeks, Italians, French, Jews and Levantine Arabs, who brought their languages, architecture and food. But things had changed by the time of the Suez Crisis in 1956, when Egypt privatized the Suez Canal, prompting military attacks by Britain, France and Israel. In its aftermath, many foreigners left or were expelled from Alexandria, and the city’s cultural grandeur began to crumble - much like the ancient part of the city that lies at the bottom of the sea.
In recent years, however, efforts by preservationists and the government to restore the city’s luster have started to bear fruit. The first sign of Alexandria’s renewal was the Bibliotheca Alexandrina, the glimmering vision in steel and glass that opened on the Corniche in 2002.
Another sign of the city’s resurgence is the sumptuous Four Seasons Hotel Alexandria. Opened in July, it has nine restaurants, a large infinity pool and 118 plush, modern guest rooms, many facing the Mediterranean.
Outside the city, one of the two airports, Borg Al-Arab, is being expanded to accommodate more passengers. There are now regular flights from Germany and Britain.
And there are plans, though still not financed, to restore the city’s Eastern Harbor with an underwater archaeology museum, a waterfront promenade and hotels, including one inspired by the third-century B.C. Pharos lighthouse, whose ruins lie underwater.
http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2007/12/16/MN79TSNA1.DTL&feed=rss.news
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