Downtown DistrictAlexandria Governorate
العربية

Landmarks & Culture

Landmarks of the Downtown District

Twenty-three centuries within walking distance: from the Canopic Way and the Roman amphitheatre to the opera house and the Bibliotheca.

  • 5 eras
  • 23 centuries
A journey through timeOn the map
In the districtRoman Theatre at Kom El Dikka

Twenty-three centuries at a glance

Point at a dot to name the landmark; select it to go there.

  1. Fouad Street — the Canopic Way331 BC — the Canopic Way
  2. Roman Theatre at Kom El DikkaRoman era, most likely 4th century — uncovered in 1964
  3. Shallalat GardensOn the line of the 9th-century wall, under Ibn Tulun
  4. Remains of the Alexandria City Wall9th century — under Ibn Tulun
  5. Misr Railway StationThe railway from the 1850s — present building 1927
  6. Mahatet El Raml & Saad Zaghloul SquareFrom 1863 — the Ramleh line’s terminus
  7. The Alexandria Tram1863
  8. Eliyahu Hanavi SynagogueRebuilt in the 19th century — foundation plaque dated 1881
  9. Graeco-Roman Museum1892
  10. The Statue of Nubar PashaUnveiled in 1904, according to a museum record
  11. The Windsor Palace Hotel1906, by the hotel’s own account
  12. Cavafy MuseumCavafy’s home from 1907 to 1933
  13. The Lycée Al-Horreya1909–1910 — the Shatby building from 1913
  14. Sayed Darwish Theatre — Alexandria Opera House1921 — the Mohamed Ali Theatre
  15. Alexandria National MuseumLate-1920s palace — museum since 2003
  16. The Cecil Hotel1929
  17. Museum of Fine Arts1954
  18. Bibliotheca Alexandrina2002
  • Ancient Alexandria331 BC – 7th century AD
  • The Islamic centuries7th century – 1805
  • The Mohamed Ali revival1805 – 1860
  • The cosmopolitan city1860 – 1950
  • Contemporary Alexandria1950 – today
Through timeAll at once

331 BC – 7th century AD

Ancient Alexandria

The city of Alexander, the Ptolemies and then Rome: its streets laid on a grid crossed by the Canopic Way, and at Kom El Dikka Rome left the only Roman theatre (odeon) uncovered in Egypt.

7th century – 1805

The Islamic centuries

The city contracted within a smaller wall built under Ibn Tulun, its gates later reinforced by the Fatimids and a forward wall added by the Ayyubids; one of its towers still stands inside Shallalat Gardens.

1805 – 1860

The Mohamed Ali revival

Alexandria returned as a port and a trading centre: Consuls’ Square was laid out, the communities built their churches, and the first railway in Africa and the Middle East arrived.

1860 – 1950

The cosmopolitan city

The district at the height of its plurality: Greek, Italian, French, Levantine, Jewish and Armenian communities; the tram, theatres, hotels and cafés; classical, Art Nouveau and Art Deco buildings.

1950 – today

Contemporary Alexandria

An age of discovery and rediscovery: the Roman theatre was uncovered by chance in 1964, and the Bibliotheca Alexandrina returned to the city’s shore in 2002.

More places in the district

Theatres, cinemas and cultural centres, by type.

Arts & culture(13)