Alexandria

The largest port in Egypt and the greatest summer resort in the Middle East. It is located on the Mediterranean Sea north west of Delta, 225 Km2 from Cairo by agricultural road and 221 km2 by desert road. Named after Alexander the Macedonian who ordered its foundation in 332 B.C., on the site of a small village called Rhakotis to be the capital of his reign in Egypt, a port near to his country and a Greek cultural centre.

Since its foundation Alexandria remained for many centuries a centre of cultural radiation to the whole world. It occupied a remarkable place in the history of mankind.


Alexandria was, and still is, a prominent cultural beacon for knowledge seekers and the history of its famous library- whose revival is underway- tells the story of the dawn of culture, enlightenment and creation.

Various religious sites are widespread in Alexandria of which are: The Jewish synagogue in Al-Nabi Daniel street ,St Marc church established in the first century A.D. by Saint Marcus, Saint Catherine Church and Abu Mina Monastery which lies 50 km from Alexandria.


Al-Montazah Palace

Built on low plateau east of Alexandria and overlooking a beautiful beach, amid about 370 feddans of gardens and woods, the Palace comprises a number of buildings, the most important being Al-Haramlek, the summer residence of the former royal family, Palestine Hotel, the tourist hotel, was built in the gardens, while Al-Haramlek was turned into a luxury hotel.

El Montazah Palace

The Montazah Palace Gardens

These gardens cover an area of 370 acres and contain trees, palms, and flowers. There are also a museum, several natural bays and beaches, as well as complete tourist centre, a hotel, restaurants, bungalows and a children's park of 4.5 acres area.
 

El Montazah Palace Gardens

The Antoniadis Gardens
They contain beautifully arranged trees and flowers, as well as several Greco statues in marble and the Antoniadis palace.

The Alexandria University Conference Centre
The Alexandria Cultural Centre, in Al-Silsilah, over an area of 42,000 m2, comprises a conference centre, the Alexandria library, an open courtyard and a garage. The conference centre, on an area of 5,000 m2, has an overall seating capacity of 2672. There is large cafeteria to serve the main auditorium overlooking the sea. A smaller cafeteria caters to the other smaller halls.

The conference centre comprises
The Main Auditorium, 1700 seats, is a large hall without any pillars to obstruct the view. It is a multi-purpose facility with a fully-equipped stage that allows for holding international and national conferences and for staging plays, concerts, ballets, and operas. There are six separate booths equipped for simultaneous interpretation in six languages.
Three smaller halls: The first 400 seats, and the second and third, 286 each. Five separate booths for simultaneous interpretation are attached to each hall. All the halls are equipped with audio-visual aids, closed-circuit TV, air-conditioning, and direct-dial telephone services. Other facilities for information, security, and parking areas are also available.

Alexandria's Submerged Monuments
Over its long history, Alexandria has been the cradle of several civilizations of the ancient world; Pharaonic, Hellenistic and Roman.

This multicultural museum lies safely under Alexandria's Mediterranean coastal water, sand during the Fifth Century B.C. it formed part of the ancient city of Alexandria and was devastated by earthquakes and tidal erosion.

A project was initiated in 1992 by the Supreme Council for Antiquities, in cooperation with the European Institute of Submerged Antiquities, to make a topographic survey of the area of royal facilities at the submerged parts, specifically the Eastern Port, which commands a major historical importance.

Exploratory operations resulted in the following:

An overall topographic picture of the submerged royal quarter in ancient Alexandria.

A number of 1300 sites were located at sight and cleared of attaching sediments.

Six archaeological maps were drawn up, showing accurately the topography of several areas of major historical significance.

These operations have allowed a full panorama of the reputed Magnus Portus. Major discoveries then followed as landmarks of the isles of Pharos (referred to in Homer's Odyssey (7th Century B.C.) and Interodos started to unfold, with their royal palaces, statues and decorations. Several antiquities such as two statues of the Sphinx, of which one is made of grey granite and the other of durite, were broken up as a result of natural disasters.

These structures are indicative of the dense constructions along the eastern coastline. These discoveries made over the years 1996, 1997 and 1998 have given impetus to further explorations of the seaport basin and the fathoming of depths.

Collection of Submerged Monuments
In 1996, a new department of Underwater Archaeology of the Supreme Council of Antiquities was founded as a result of the excavations carried out at Qait Bey fortress and the discovery of part of the royal quarter in the Eastern harbor in Alexandria. Similarly, the year 1962 was significant in that it marked the uplift of the colossal statue of Isis Pharia from the depths of the Mediterranean. The year 1933 also marked other discoveries at the Abu Qir Bay.

The Museum displays some of the artifacts that have been salvaged from both the Alexandria Eastern harbor and Abu Qir Bay


Hotel options are numerous:

El-Salamlek Palace
Tel: 03-547-7999

Helnan Palestine Hotel
Tel: 03-547-3500

Mercure Alexandria
Tel: 03-584-0911/2

Paradise Inn Metropole
Tel: 03-486-1465 16

Paradise Inn Windsor Palace Hotel
Tel: 03-480-8123/ 8700/ 8256

Plaza Hotel
Tel: 03-583-8714/ 5

Renaissance
Tel: 03-549-0935

Sheraton Montazah Hotel
Tel: 03-548-0550

Sofitel Alexandria Cecil
Tel: 03-480-7055 / 487-7173