Jennifer Starlight Alexandria Extension

Tour Description

Alexandria is the shining pearl of the Mediterranean and the beacon radiating its culture and heritage to the world at large.
It’s the 2nd largest city and the main port of Egypt, named after Alexander the Great who founded the city in 331 B.C. and the capital of Egypt during the Greek-Roman era.
When Alexander reached Egypt, he was welcomed by the people who hated the Persian rule. He had to visit Siwa oasis to consult the oracle of the great god Amun. While on his way, he admired that stretch of land between the Mediterranean Sea and the nearby island. He ordered a city to be founded there in order to serve as a capital of Egypt.
Alexandria was designed by the Greek architect Dinocrates in 332 BC but the city walls outline was marked by Alexander himself. The city plan was practical and like most ancient Greek cities, consisted of orthogonal streets with the sea being the main landscaping element.
After Alexander’s death in 323 BC, his empire was divided among his generals. Ptolemy declared himself king of Egypt and founded the Ptolemaic Empire.
During the Ptolemaic reign, Alexandria became belonged not so much to Egypt as to the Mediterranean. Alexandria flourished during the reign of the first 3 Ptolemies and grew into one of the largest Metropolis in the world, and after the death of Ptolemy III the country went into decline. The legacy of the Ptolemies is highlighted by major achievements like the Pharos Lighthouse, the Great library, and the Temple of Serapis.
It was along the shores of Alexandria that history took a tragic turn at the time of Cleopatra, the latest Ptolemaic queen, who had great influence over Julius Caesar, and after his death over Mark Antony.
Cleopatra and Mark Antony were defeated by Octavian in a naval battle in 30 BC and thus Egypt became a Roman province.
During the early rule of the Romans in Egypt, the world witnessed one of the most important events in history; the birth of Christianity. The new religion was introduced into Alexandria by St. Mark who was martyred in 62 AD for protesting against the worship of Serapis.
By the time of the Arab forces reached Egypt in 641 AD, Alexandria couldn’t serve as the capital, as they established another city called Al-Fustat, which became the capital. For the next thousand years or so, the glamour of Alexandria declined.
Alexandria was further struck by the discovery of the new route around Africa to the Far East. The port wouldn’t regain its power until the inauguration of the Suez Canal in the middle of the 19th century.
Nowadays, the city became Egypt’s summer capital and the home of Alexandria University, the Arab institute of Science and Technology and the Eastern Mediterranean regional office of the world health organization.

SINGLE SUPPLEMENT USD429

Tour Highlights