This fortress is built over the foundation of the ancient lighthouse.

Th New Library of Alexandria


Alexandria was the first city we visited after flying into Cairo. The city was built along the coastline of the Mediterranean by the Greeks and named after, who else?, Alexander the Great. It was not technically part of “Egypt” when it was built because “Egypt” as a nation only consisted of “Black Soil Around the River Nile” as our tour guide, Osman, emphasized quite a bit.

Alexandria was once home to one of the 7 Wonders of the Ancient World – the Lighthouse of Alexandria. It’s not there anymore. It fell down a long time ago and a fortress was built over its foundation.

We also got to see (but didn’t go in) the new library. If you remember your world history, Alexandria was also home to the largest library in antiquity until some moron burned it down in some sort of protest- destroying much of the world’s compiled knowledge up to that point. I sure hope this new library is fireproof…just in case.

Also, since Alexandria was a Greco-Roman city, there are extensive catacombs below the street, comparable to Rome or Paris. Early Christians used these catacombs as secret meeting places during times of persecution. And I thought our church buildings were uninviting…