The Modern City
(AD 1798 to date)
And our drowsy Alexandria in a flash Started to glitter all along its millenia As I had never seen anything glitter before
Poet Guiseppe Ungaretti (1888-1970)
When Napoleon Bonaparte and the French army entered Alexandria on July 1st 1789, she was no more than a small town. The population of the city that was once the second largest in the world had shrunk to a mere 8000. Illustrations and maps shown in "Déscription d'Egypte", the comprehensive book compiled by the French expedition, suggest that the population was mainly centered around the Turkish Town, now known as Mansheya. only ruins, sand dunes, and two obelisks known as Cleopatra's Needles (one of them fallen) could be seen at today's city center, Raml Station. Napoleon's army of 5000 men captured the city with little or no resistance.
Although the French expedition eventually failed when in 1799 the British Lord, Nelson, defeated the French at Abou-Qir (Canopus), its influence on Egyptian history was dramatic. It was a wake-up call to a country that was struck by Ottoman isolationism and Mamelouk corruption. It also brought to the attention of the British the importance of Egypt's strategic location. For the next decade, Alexandria wittnessed military confrontations between the Ottomans and the Mamelouks as well as the British who sent another expedition in 1807.
During the course of the events, a new political figure started to emerge. An Albanian officer by the name of Mohamed Ali who had been appointed by the Ottoman Sultan as ruler of Egypt was gradually gaining power. He finally declared Egypt as an autonomous state under the Ottoman sovereignty, and started a dynasty of Khedives and Kings that lasted for over a century.
Mohamed Ali is one of the most controversial figures in Egyptian history. Some consider him a great leader who had ambitious plans to revive Egypt's old glory. Others believe he was just another dictator who was abusive of the country and the people. Most, however, agree, that Egypt experienced an age of "Renaissance" under his rule. He gave away Alexandria's own Cleopatra's Needles as "gifts" to the British and American governments. But he also cut the new Mahmoudeya Canal and connected it to the Nile, an achievement that revived Alexandria's as well as Egypt's economy. The city center (Mansheya) as we see it today is mainly the work of his engineers. He also prepared the Western Harbor to be Egypt's main port, and built a modern lighthouse at its entrance. When Mohamed Ali died, Alexandria's population had grown from a meager 8,000 to a prosperous 60,000.
Under the rule of Mohamed Ali's successors, Alexandria continued to grow. When the Suez Canal was inaugurated in 1867, Alexandria's exports increased to constitute 94% of Egypt's total. New communities emerged east of Ancient Alexandria, as far as Octavian's Nicopolis (El-Raml), to accommodate the growing population.
In 1882, Ahmed Orabi, an Egyptian nationalist then minister of war, led a revolt against the Khedive (King) Tawfik to protest British intervention in Egypt. The situation was aggravated when the British fleet arrived in Alexandria in May. On July 11, Alexandria suffered greatly when she was bombarded by the British. The bombardment lasted for 2 days and the city surrendered, marking the beginning of a British occupation to Egypt which lasted for 70 years.
During the 20th cetury, the city became Egypt's summer Capital. Al-Montazah Palace was designated as the King's summer residence, and the official government headquarters were based in Bulkeley. In 1944, Arab delegates signed the birth document of the Arab League in Alexandria. She witnessed the abdication of King Farouk and his departure to exile in Italy on July 26th 1952. And exactly four years later, president Nasser (who was born in the middle-class district of Bacos in Alexandria) announced the nationalization of the Suez Canal at her very own heart, Al-Mansheya Square.
Today, the city looks different from that of the Ptolemies. Greater Alexandria stretches nearly 70 kilometers (45 miles) along the Mediterranean coast, with urban areas covering more than 100 square kilometers. Her rich population of more than 4 million still reflects her ancient history and close ties to the Mediterranean. With ethnic minorities including Armenians, Greeks, Italians, Lebanese, Maltese, and Syrians among others, Alexandria is considered the most diverse culturally of all Egyptian cities. Her diverse experiences are deeply engraved in the names of her districts: Greek names Bacos (Bacchus), Quartier Grec (Greek Quarter); Ptolemaic names Soter, Cleopatra; Roman/Coptic names Camp César, Sainte Catherine, San Stefano; Arab names Shatby, Sidi Bishr, Sidi Gaber; Jewish names Smouha, Menasha (Menasce); modern European names Fleming, Glymenopoulo, Lambruzo, Schutz, Stanley; and modern Egyptian names Moharram Bey, Moustafa Kamel, Rushdy, Saba Pasha. She is home of Alexandria University, the Arab Institute of Science and Technology, Université Senghor and the Eastern Mediterranean Regional Office of the World Health Organization. Most recently, a project is underway to revive Alexandria's old library. On the Corniche (seafront) at Silsila, site of the Ancient Ptolemaic Palace and the Caesarium, the new building will be erected, and will carry the name of Bibliotheca Alexandrina.
More on Egypt's History from ArabNet and the LOC
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