Alexandria

Alexandria most commonly refers to the city of Alexandria in Egypt, a major Mediterranean port founded by Alexander the Great in 331 BCE on the western edge of the Nile Delta. The city quickly became a leading center of Hellenistic culture, learning, and trade, linking the Mediterranean world with Egypt and the Near East.

Historically notable features centered on learning and navigation, including the Library of Alexandria, one of antiquity’s greatest repositories of knowledge, and the Pharos, the Lighthouse of Alexandria, a landmark of ancient engineering. Alexandria played a key role in science, mathematics, and commerce under various rulers, attracting scholars from across the ancient world. The city declined after the Roman and Byzantine periods, and later endured shifts in control under Islamic rule and repeated earthquakes and invasions.

In the modern era, Alexandria is Egypt’s second-largest city and a major port, industrial hub, and commercial center on the Mediterranean. It hosts universities and cultural institutions, historic neighborhoods, and a prominent seafront known as the Corniche. The Bibliotheca Alexandrina, opened in 2002, is a modern cultural and research library established to revive the spirit of the ancient library.

The name Alexandria is used for several other places around the world, particularly in North America, including cities such as Alexandria, Virginia; Alexandria, Louisiana; and Alexandria, Minnesota. These places share the etymology of the Greek name Alexandros, meaning “defender of men.”