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Wikitravel guide to Cairo and Alexandria
 Wikitravel Press has created the official Wikimania 2008 travel guide to Cairo and Alexandria. The guide is licensed under Creative Commons by-sa 1.0, and it's available for your reading and editing pleasure at the Wikitravel website: Alexandria - Cairo (including the Pyramids) - Egypt reference - Egyptian Arabic phrasebook Printed copies of the June guidebook will be distributed on site (while supplies last), but those wanting to grab a copy before the conference can buy it online (US$11.99) — new July version now available. Take a look at the Alexandria sample chapter (PDF, 6.3 MB) to see what it looks like! Any changes made now will be integrated into the next edition. You can help make it the best guide there can be! |
Licensing issues permitting (Wikitravel requires CC by-sa 1.0), the legacy content below will be merged into the Wikitravel guide. Please do not update the content below; work on Wikitravel instead. Jpatokal 07:32, 30 May 2008 (UTC), for Wikitravel Press
Few cities of the world have a history as rich as that of Alexandria; few cities have witnessed so many historic events and legends. The city that has been immortalized in the works of Cavafy, Durrell and Forster, was named after its founder, Alexander the Great. Founded around 334 BC and designed by Deinocrates of Rhodes, Alexandria was one of the greatest cities in the Hellenistic world, second only to Rome in size and wealth. It was well known for its Lighthouse, which is one of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World, and the Library of Alexandria, the largest library of the ancient world and the place where great philosophers and scientists of that age came to seek knowledge. Nowadays, Alexandria is the leading port of Egypt and is considered to be a major industrial and tourist city, with millions of tourists and guests coming to the city every year.
Alexandria has 5 well-known museums; the Greaco-Roman Museum, Alexandria National Museum, Royal Jewellery Museum, ElMax Aquarium and the Bibliotheca Alexandrina Museums (for antiquities, manuscripts, and science), and there are another 3 under construction. There are also 5 smaller museums, including the Cavafy Museum.