Egypt’s second-largest city with a population of around four million, Alexandria is the country’s largest seaport and the centre of much of its maritime activity. It is also one of the oldest cities in Egypt and lies around 225 kilometres northwest of Cairo. As records suggest, Alexandria was established by Alexander the Great in around 332 BC on the site of a small village called Rhakotis. He wanted to create one of the finest capital cities in the world, and one for which his reign would go down in history.

Alexandria remained the capital of Egypt for nearly a thousand years and was immensely prosperous because of its strategic trading location between the Mediterranean and the red sea. It also became the centre of learning for the ancient world and retains its academic importance to this day.