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ALEXANDRIA
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Alexandria
Understand
History
Sic transit gloria mundi - Alexandria was the eponymous foundation (in 334 BCE) of the Macedonian conquerer Alexander the Great (Iskander al-Akbar), a rival of Rome in its heyday, and the world's greatest center of learning for millennia... now a dusty seaside Egyptian town with an over-inflated population of 5 million. The French-style parks and the occasional French street sign survive as a legacy of Napoleon, one of Alexandria's many conquerors. But the final blow came when Gamal Abdel Nasser nationalized most of Alexandria's Greek-owned businesses, leading to an exodus of 50,000 Greeks from the country - but the few remaining Greek restaurants and cafés still dominate the cultural scene.
Orientation Alexandria's primary promenade is the seaside Corniche. At the western tip lies the fort of Qait Bey, built near the presumed site of the former Lighthouse (Pharos in Greek), one of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World, while the eastern shore sprawls for miles on end with the slums and tenements of modern Alex.
Eat
Egyptian cuisine is excellent, combining many of the best traditions of Middle Eastern cooking, and there are both large hotel restaurants and smaller specialist ones throughout the main towns. Some of the larger hotels in Cairo and its environs have kitchens serving top quality cosmopolitan dishes. In the center of Cairo, American-style snack bars are also spreading. Restaurants have waiter service. Although Egypt is a Muslim country, alcohol is available in cafe-style bars and good restaurants. The legal drinking age is 21.
National specialties:
• Foul (bean dishes).
• Stuffed vine leaves.
• Roast pigeon.
• Grilled aubergines.
• Kebabs.
• Humus (chickpeas).
National drinks:
• Kahwa (thick, strong coffee).
• Shay bil na'na' (mint tea).
• Karkaday (clear, bright red drink made from hibiscus flowers).
• Aswanli (dark beer made in Aswan).
• Zibib (alcoholic aniseed-flavored drink).
Tipping: 10 to 12 per cent is added to hotel and restaurant bills but an extra tip of 5 per cent is normal. Taxi drivers generally expect 10 per cent. Elite. 43 Sofia Zaghoul. Once the favorite hangout of Alexandria's intelligentsia including D.H. Lawrence, Laurence Durrell, and Edith Piaf, but now bears a distinct resemblance to an American road diner complete with vinyl seating and chipped white plastic tables. The staff are still French-speaking and appropriately snotty. Try the plat du jour (23 LE).
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Hotels in Alexandria
 | Days Inn-Alexandria South  |
Score 6.2 from 5 reviews | | 6100 Richmond Highway |  |
| Captain John's Seafood Buffet. ... more | | |
 | Quality Inn Mount Vernon  |
Score 8.725 from 13 reviews | | 7212 Richmond Hwy |  |
| Visitors will enjoy shopping at The Fashion Centre at Pentagon City. Golf courses, jogging trails, boating, fishing and horseback riding are five minutes from the hotel. A variety of restaurants and cocktail lounges are located in the surrounding area.
The Alexandria area offers something for everyone within minutes of the hotel. The nation's capital beckons visitors to walk the halls of congress, see the first flag, hear senators debate bills that may become law and take in the breathtaking view of cherry blossoms.
Additional local points of interest include:
-Arlington National Cemetery
-Washington Monument
-White House
-Smithsonian Institution museum and research complex
-Lincoln Memorial ... more | | |
 | Hawthorn Suites Alexandria/Washington DC  |
Score 0 from 0 reviews | | 420 North Van Dorn Street |  |
| This hotel is conveniently located in the Washington DC area, just 8 miles from downtown DC, just 8 miles from Reagan National Airport and 25 miles from Dulles International Airport. Georgetown is also nearby and only 10 miles away.
... more | | |
 | Sheraton Montazah Hotel  |
Score 7.75 from 2 reviews | | Cornish Road |  |
| Sheraton Montazah Hotel’s 289 comfortable guest rooms and suites offer the space you need to relax or get some work done. Find an additional level of comfort in the Club Rooms, where you can enjoy extra privileges at the Club Lounge. ... more | | |
 | Comfort Inn Alexandria  |
Score 10 from 1 reviews | | 5716 South Van Dorn Street |  |
| Comfort Inn Alexandria provides a free shuttle to Van Dorn Metro Station. ... more | | |
| | More hotels in Alexandria |
Museum of Fine Arts
The museum houses a spectacular collection of sculptures, paintings and architectural works. Exhibitions by contemporary artists, both Egyptian and non-Egyptian are often held there. Furthermore, the museum organizes the Alexandria Biennially, every two years, to display the art of the Mediterranean countries.
| type: | Museums |
| address: | 18 Menasce Street, Moharrem Bey |
| openinghours: | 8am-2pm. Except Fridays. |
| tel: | +02 3 493 6616 |
| Private Day Tour to Cairo |
17 hours |
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Great Pyramids of Giza
The Great Pyramids of Giza, dating back to 2500 BC are some of the most famous manmade objects in the world. While there are actually over one hundred Pyramids in Egypt, including at least eight more at Giza, the Great Pyramid of Khufu (Cheops) is the only "Wonder of the Ancient World" that still survives.
Great Sphinx of Giza
During your time at The Great Pyramids of Giza, there is no escaping the mysterious Sphinx, a symbol which has come to represent the essence of Egypt for thousands of years. With the body of a lion and the head of a king, there is as much mystery surrounding who built it as there is determining why it was built.
The Egyptian Museum
A visit to the Egyptian Museum at Tahrir square is an absolute must on any visit to Cairo. It was built during the reign of Khedive Abbass Helmi II in 1897, and opened in 1902. With 107 halls you can explore the history of Pharaonic Egypt through the 120,000 artifacts exhibited, from Narmer to Akhnaton and Ramses. On the upper floor is the famous collection of King Tutankhamon treasures. The pharaoh is indeed gone, but his treasures and life still fascinate us today.
Khan el-Khalili Bazaars
Not just any market, but one of the most historic markets in the world. Founded by the Emir Djaharks el-Khalili in 1382, the khan was responsible for developing such a stranglehold on goods moving from the Eastern world to the West, that it is indirectly responsible for the discovery of the American continent. The spice markets in the Khan, a monopoly controlled by the ruling Mamluks of Egypt, forced explorers such as Columbus to find alternate routes for goods coming from the East.
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Aquarium & Marine Life Museum
 Not very impreisse overview of marine life.
| type: | Museums |
| address: | Fort Qait Bey |
| openinghours: | 9am-2pm |
| Private St Catherine's and Moses' Mountain Full Day Tour |
11.5 hours |
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Climbing up Mt. Sinai is a fascinating adventure to the place where Moses received the table of law and the ten commandments.
The descent is not too steep however there are about five hundred or so steps at the very summit. Legend has it that you will be retracing the footsteps of Moses who climbed Mt. Sinai to receive the Ten Commandments.
On your journey back down the mountain you will stop at St Catherine's Monastery. The monastery is one of the most famous in the world and is said to be built around Moses' Burning Bush. Built between 527 and 565 AD, the Monastery is named after St Catherine who was tortured and beheaded for her Christian beliefs.
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