I guess that when you mention Alexandria to most people, one or more of three things spring to mind - the Pharos lighthouse, the library and of course its founder Alexander the Great. Sadly the lighthouse disappeared sometime around the 14th century supposedly after an earthquake although diver-archaologists have found enormous pieces of granite on the seabed that they reckon once formed the Wonder of the World); the library was sacked and destroyed by Christian invaders about 400 years earlier. Alexander, well, his remains are apparently under the city somewhere but nobody is really sure of their exact location.
However, in an attempt to restore Alexandria to the top-spot in the knowledge charts, a new library has been built. Designed to reflect the sun at sunset in such a way as to appear to be a second star rising out of the sea, the library is fast becoming a repository for international texts and consequently a key research spot for visiting scholars. I don't claim to be one of those, so we didn't go inside, but we did go for a nice walk from Cavafy's house down to the corniche and along the bay to the library where we came face-to-face with a bust of the city's founder himself.
2 comments:
Fantastc architecture. It looks like a lovely city. Did you think the bust of Alexander the Great looked like Michael Angelo's David??? (Or is it me!!!)
yes, I thought so too :)
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