Pharos (Alexandria)

Alexandria is Egypt's second biggest city and the largest on the Mediterranean coast. Alexander the Great established it in 331 BC. The city was built in the proximity of an Egyptian village known as Rhacotis. During the reign of the Ptolemaic pharaohs who succeeded Alexander, Alexandria flourished swiftly, becoming a significant center of Hellenic civilisation and eventually displacing Memphis as Egypt's capital.

The city was a prominent early Christian center and the seat of the Patriarchate of Alexandria, which was one of the most important Christian centers in the Eastern Roman Empire. Both the Coptic Orthodox Church and the Greek Orthodox Church of Alexandria claim this historic legacy in the modern world. By 641, the city had been extensively ravaged and had lost its importance until resurfacing in the contemporary era. Alexandria became a major international shipping center and one of the world's most important trading centers beginning in the late 18th century, owing to the easy overland connection between the Mediterranean and Red Seas and the lucrative trade in Egyptian cotton.

• The Lighthouse of Alexandria, also known as the Pharos of Alexandria, was one of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World.
• Pharos was home to a famous library, the Library of Alexandria, which was one of the largest and most important libraries in the ancient world.
• The Ptolemaic monarchs allowed autonomy to a substantial Jewish population in Pharos, and they erected their own synagogue.