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. Misr Railway StationThe railway from the 1850s — present building 1927
  3. Mahatet El Raml & Saad Zaghloul SquareFrom 1863 — the Ramleh line’s terminus
  4. The Alexandria Tram1863
  5. The Windsor Palace Hotel1906, by the hotel’s own account
  6. The Cecil Hotel1929
  • 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.

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.