Before Alexander the Great founded it in 331 BC, Alexandria was already an important port city due to its location on the Egyptian Nile Delta. Alexandria was once a premier center of knowledge in the ancient world. It was home to a vast library of scrolls, one of the largest in ancient times. The library stood as a symbol of culture and intellectual achievement, until it was burned down in a fire that Julius Caesar himself started. The city was also home to Eratosthenes, the philosopher who discovered the earth was round through his measurements. Centuries later, Alexandria played a significant role in Napoleon’s military operations, also due to its central location.

Nowadays, you can walk through ancient streets and see where east met west at the height of classical civilization.