October 9

Alexandria and El Alemain

One of my most memorable photos with my dad

Alexandria is a City at the northernmost and westernmost end of the Nile Delta. It has a population of almost six million people. It is famous for more than one thing. At one point, it was home to the Lighthouse of Alexandria, one of the Seven Wonders of the ancient world.

Its founding by Alexander the Great in 331 BC was only surpassed by Rome. At that time, the Romans ruled the entire Mediterranean Sea. Since then, a succession of invasions has taken place, each one leaving its indelible mark on the history of the country. It was taken over by the Arabs in 641AD, then fell into a long decline. The Ottoman period saw it decline to slightly better than a fishing village. Napoleon and his army captured it in 1798; then, the British captured it from the French and ruled it for 150 years.

During that time, it was the second-largest city in the world, second only to Rome. At the time, that was the Ptolemaic period. During that time, the Great Library of Alexandria was also established. The new one is amazing.

When Alexander the Great passed away, he was buried there, and his site became a tourist attraction/

El Alamein is a town one hour west of Alexandria on the Mediterranean Coast. It was made famous by a significant battle in World War II in 1942. It was commemorated with cemeteries for German, Italian and British soldiers.

The battle was a significant victory for British general Montgomery, who defeated Field Marshal Rommel’s army, thus expelling the Axis forces from Northern Africa and changing the war dramatically.

The last trip I remember with my father in Egypt was to the cemetery