Transportation Directory - Alexandria Egypt

Description: Alexandria, Arabic – الإسكندرية, Greek – Ἀλεξάνδρεια, Coptic – Ⲣⲁⲕⲟϯ – Rakoti or ⲁⲗⲉⲝⲁⲛⲇⲣⲓⲁ) is the second largest city in Egypt and the largest city on the Mediterranean coast. It lies at the western edge of the Nile River delta.

Founded in c. 331 BC by Alexander the Great, Alexandria grew rapidly and became a major centre of Hellenic civilization, eventually replacing Memphis, in present-day Greater Cairo, as Egypt’s capital. Called”Bride of the Mediterranean” internationally, Alexandria is a popular tourist destination and an important industrial centre due to its natural gas and oil pipelines from Suez.

Population: 5,588,452

Demographics: Main ethnic groups are Egyptian, Bedouin Arab, Nubian. Main religions are Sunni Muslim 90%, Coptic Christian. The majority of the residents speak Arabic. Most people that live in Alexandria are native Egyptians, although there are also residents originally from Germany, Italy and other European countries.

History: Radiocarbon dating of seashell fragments and lead contamination show human activity at the location during the period of the Old Kingdom (27th–21st centuries BC) and again in the period 1000–800 BC, followed by the absence of activity after that. Alexandria was founded by Alexander the Great in April 331 BC as Ἀλεξάνδρεια (Alexandreia), as one of his many city foundations.

After he captured the Egyptian Satrapy from the Persians, Alexander wanted to build a large Greek city on Egypt’s coast that would bear his name. He chose the site of Alexandria, envisioning the building of a causeway to the nearby island of Pharos that would generate two great natural harbors.

The Septuagint, a Greek version of the Tanakh, was produced there. The early Ptolemies kept it in order and fostered the development of its museum into the leading Hellenistic centre of learning (Library of Alexandria, which faced destruction during Caesar’s siege of Alexandria in 47 BC), but were careful to maintain the distinction of its population’s three largest ethnicities: Greek, Egyptian and Jewish.

After the Battle of Ridaniya in 1517, the city was conquered by the Ottoman Turks and remained under Ottoman rule until 1798. Alexandria lost much of its former importance to the Egyptian port city of Rosetta during the 9th to 18th centuries, and it only regained its former prominence with the construction of the Mahmoudiyah Canal in 1820.

Alexandria figured prominently in the military operations of Napoleon’s expedition to Egypt in 1798. French troops stormed the city on 2 July 1798, and it remained in their hands until the arrival of a British expedition in 1801. The British won a considerable victory over the French at the Battle of Alexandria on 21 March 1801, following which they besieged the city, which fell to them on 2 September 1801. Muhammad Ali, the Ottoman governor of Egypt, began rebuilding and redevelopment around 1810 and, by 1850, Alexandria had returned to something akin to its former glory. Egypt turned to Europe in their effort to modernize the country.

Greeks, followed by other Europeans and others, began moving to the city. In the early 20th century, the city became a home for novelists and poets. Europeans began leaving Alexandria following the 1956 Suez Crisis that led to an outburst of Arab nationalism. The nationalization of property by Nasser, which reached its highest point in 1961, drove out nearly all the rest.

Elevation: 12 m

Climate: Hot steppe climate. Average annual temperature in Alexandria is 23 C (73 F), the average for July is 28 C (82 F), the average for January is 14 C (57 F).

Attractions: Fort Qaitbey, Catacombs Of Kom El Shoqafa, Montazah Gardens, Corniche, Ancient Roman Amphitheater, King Farouk Palace, Stanley Bridge, Pompey’s Pillar

Airports: Alexandria International Airport AEX

Distance To City Centre: 50 km

Commute Length: 55 min

Average Cost: 65 USD

Peak Times: 6am-9am, 3pm-8pm