Alexandria, Egypt

before 343 BC - Egyptian dynasties rule from Memphis or Thebes.
to 330 BC - Persian rule from Persepolis, Iran.
330 BC - Alexandria founded by Greek general Alexander the Great.
to 80 BC - capital of Greek Ptolemaic Empire. Last monarch was Queen Cleopatra. 140 BC - The Lighthouse of Alexandria included in the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World by Greek traveler Antipater.
to 395 AD - Roman rule from Rome, Italy. Alexandria is capital of Egypt province.
to 641 AD - Christian Byzantine/Greek rule from Constantinople (Istanbul, Turkey). 
619 to 629 AD - Persian rule from Ctesiphon (near Baghdad, Iraq).
to 868 AD - Muslim Arab rule from Baghdad, Iraq.
to 1517 - ruled by various Muslim Arab dynasties from Cairo, Egypt.
to 1914 - Muslim Turkish rule from Istanbul, Turkey. 
1798 to 1801 - ruled by Napoleon from Paris, France.
to 1922 - under British protection from London, UK.
1922 - Independent Egypt established, with capital at Cairo. 
 
 Alexandria is the second oldest city on our Mediterranean tour, after Athens in Greece. In most of the millenium after its founding by Alexander the Great, it was the second largest city in the western world if not the largest, first after Rome, then after Constantinople (Istanbul, Turkey) when the capital of the Roman Empire moved to Constantinople. Only after the Arab conquest did it start to decline in importance, taken over by Baghdad and Cairo further east and inland, the shipping trade through its ports losing importance to the overland caravan trade. Alexandria's ancient lighthouse was among the original Seven Wonders of the World, unfortunately it collapsed in an earthquake only a few centuries ago after standing for almost two millenia.

We have a free day since most of the older folks needed rest after a long day the previous day touring Cairo and the Pyramids. We didn't book any tours, but a few of us decided to walk into the city on our own. While Neil's mom and sister joined three Canadian ladies on a horse-buggy tour of the city and had a horrible experience, Neil and I joined a few girls we met on the ship including Claudette and Sharon and ventured into the city. The city layout is not that complicated in Arabian standards but the dirty, dilapidated streets, many dead-ends and narrow alleys, not to mention local men staring at our lightly dressed girls, gave us a seedy, dis-orienting feel. Fortunately with two guys in the group our girls felt pretty safe.

One of our girls wanted to see the souq (market), so we followed the narrow alleys past many local shops, which lead us to the water front. The water front is a glorious promenade fronted by many turn of the (20th) century hotels and apartment buildings with faded romantic charm. After a lot of searching we found a tourist information center at the corner of one of the water front squares graced by a statue of Cleopatra. Even after getting a map of the city there we still got lost in the maze of small streets, and after witnessing killing of chickens in dirty surroundings we rushed back to the ship for lunch.

In the port compound the souvenir bazaars were much more pleasant, where most of our group did their shopping. Neil's mom and sister recounted how their horse buggy took them to dirty, frightening neighborhoods and how their driver insisted on completing the agreed route, despite the women's wish to turn around. Dealing with five western women he was unreasonable and arrogant. They eventually ditched the horse buggy and took an expensive taxi back to the ship. It was a lesson in the reality of gender relations in this part of the world.

In the afternoon Neil and I went out again with just Sharon, and we did much better. This time we headed north to the tip of the peninsula, and didn't get lost. We walked the length of the water front promenade, where many locals hang out and enjoy the breeze. Fishing boats galore operated in the harbor area just beyond the sandy beach. At the end of the peninsula there was a long row of vendors catering to tourists as well as locals, where the city meets the boundless Mediterranean. Along the way we ventured into a beautiful mosque compound, but Sharon was not allowed in because of her gender. Neil and I decided to forgo entering it as well, focusing on the outside of the mosque. It is intricately covered in carved geometric patterns, a fine example of traditional Islamic architecture.

This was a very memorable day and a fitting finish to an exotic two days in Egypt.