Created 2, 300 years ago at the wish of Alexander the Great, Alexandria is still the largest city in the Mediterranean world. It evokes a succession of images
- the Tomb of Alexander, the Pharos, the Library, Antony & Cleopatra, Cavafy & Durrell, all reminders of its magnificence & cultural influence. Over the centuries it has known many setbacks. In 1820, with the advent of Mohammed Ali, it began to reawaken, & became a model of cosmopolitanism of which many still regret the passing. Today, with the building of the great new library, the Bibliotheca Alexandrina, the city is again looking to the future.