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| courtesy Wikipedia |
Alexandria is Egypt’s largest seaport and major industrial center
lying on the Mediterranean coastline at
the western end of the lush Nile Delta.
Today, people think of it as an Arab Muslim city – one of many in the wide
world of Arabdom. It is easy to understand why. With a population of
approximately 4.5 million, the overwhelming majority of the population is, after
all, Arab Muslim. However, Alexandria was not originally an Arab Muslim city. Originally,
the area contained the important port cities of Canopus and Heracleion
(built on, what is now, Abu Qir Bay)
as well as the small Egyptian town of Rhacotis
until 331 BCE when it was built into a city by Alexander the Great (a
Greek). The territory of Rhacotis remained the Egyptian quarter of the city
which came to be dominated by Greeks. At the time, no Arab lived there, or in
any other part of Egypt. It was only with the Arab invasion and occupation of
Egypt in 641 that the city (as well as the rest of Egypt) became Arab. Today, a
substantial number of the local population, the Coptic Christians, are
descendants of those early pre-Arab Egyptians.
The Catechetical School of Alexandria is the oldest Catechetical School in the world. Soon after its inception around 190 A.D. by the Christian scholar Pantanaeus, the school of Alexandria became the most important institution of religious learning in Christendom. Many prominent bishops from many areas of the world were instructed in that school under scholars such as Athenagoras, Clement, Didymus, and the great Origen, who was considered the father of theology and who was also active in the field of commentary and comparative Biblical studies. Many scholars such as Saint Jerome visited the school of Alexandria to exchange ideas and to communicate directly with its scholars. The scope of the school of Alexandria was not limited to theological subjects; science, mathematics and the humanities were also taught there: The question and answer method of commentary began there, and 15 centuries before Braille, wood-carving techniques were in use there by blind scholars to read and write. The Theological college of the Catechetical School of Alexandria was re-established in 1893.
In the 3rd century, Alexandria was plundered by the Romans and the city lost its significance, but the Church survived and thrived and continued to contribute to early Christianity. The Nicene Creed, which is recited in all churches throughout the world, was authored by Saint Athanasius, the Pope of Alexandria for 46 years, from 327 A.D. to 373 A.D.
Initially, after the Arab invasion in 641, the local indigenous Egyptians were one of the main contributors to the Egyptian navy and they served the news Arab rulers faithfully, figuring prominently in the capture of the island of Rhodes. But this was not to last. Eventually, the indigenous Egyptians suffered periodic bouts of severe persecution which lasts to this day. In the modern period, these persecutions have intensified since the ‘80s and sometimes, even included Christians who are not Copts. Some of the most egregious incidents that took place in Alexandria since 9/11 were: 2005 – an Arab stabs 2 people during a Muslim demonstration, one of the victims was a nun; 2006 – a stabbing spree outside a church kills an elderly man and injures 3; 2011 – 23 are killed and 77 injured when a suicide bomber blew up a church during and New Year’s Day church mass; 2013 – a group of Arabs stab a Coptic woman on the street injuring her; 5 were murdered outside a church; 1 was killed and 3 injured when a church was bombed; a Coptic taxi driver is dragged from his car and decapitated; 2015 – terrorists open fire on a church bus, miraculously, only 4 were injured; 2017 – a suicide bomber kills 18 Copts and injures 48 just outside a church; a stabbing spree at a church left one guard injured.
Here is a brief summary of Alexandria’s other ancient sites:
The Heptastadion was the ancient causeway built by the local population to connect the city to Pharos Island on which, the famous ancient Lighthouse stood. In the ensuing centuries since, this area was abandoned – the Lighthouse slowly decayed and the causeway filled up with soot. The Lighthouse was finally destroyed by an earthquake in the 14th century and it was replaced with the Mameluke Citadel of Qaitbay. Today, the former causeway (now occupied by an Arab settlement Ras al Tin) has created 2 harbors. The one on the west side, the busiest, is the Western Harbor. On the east is the Eastern Harbor. The Alexandria National Museum was founded in 2003 on the site of an old Arab palace on Tariq Al-Horreya Street and contains about 1,800 artifacts that narrate the story of Egypt, and Alexandria in particular; the ancient Coptic Church of Saint Mary and the Bibliotheca Alexandrina is located at the eastern end of the harbor just south of the tiny peninsula that juts into the sea. The Bibliotheca was originally a Hellenist library built in the 3rd century BCE. The present library was opened in 2003.
After the city’s founding,
Alexandria was intended to supersede nearby Naucratis as
a Hellenistic center in Egypt,
and to be the link between Greece and the rich Nile valley.
It became the intellectual and cultural center of the ancient world for some
time. The city and its museum including
the Library of Alexandria attracted
many of the greatest scholars, including Greeks, Jews and Syrians. By the 4th
century BCE, Alexandria inherited the lucrative trading networks of ancient Tyre and became the center of the new
commerce between Europe and the Arabian and
Indian East, and the city grew in less than a generation to be larger
than Carthage.
In a century, Alexandria had become the largest city in the world and, at one
point, was second only to Rome. By the time of Augustus, the city walls encompassed an area of
5.34 km2, and the total population in Roman times was around
500-600,000.
Around the year 60, according to Coptic
tradition, Saint Mark the Evangelist arrived in the city and settled there for
several years. From there, he succeeded in converting the Egyptian inhabitants
to Christianity. On Easter Monday, May 8, 68 A.D., he was slain after
being dragged from his feet by Roman soldiers all over Alexandria's streets and
alleys. Some time after his death, a distinctly Egyptian Christianity grew up,
Coptic Christianity, and in honor of Saint Mark, Alexandria was created as the
seat of the Coptic Orthodox Church, at first headed by a patriarch, but later,
a Pope, and based in Saint Mark’s
Cathedral. The city has retained this status ever since. The Catechetical School of Alexandria is the oldest Catechetical School in the world. Soon after its inception around 190 A.D. by the Christian scholar Pantanaeus, the school of Alexandria became the most important institution of religious learning in Christendom. Many prominent bishops from many areas of the world were instructed in that school under scholars such as Athenagoras, Clement, Didymus, and the great Origen, who was considered the father of theology and who was also active in the field of commentary and comparative Biblical studies. Many scholars such as Saint Jerome visited the school of Alexandria to exchange ideas and to communicate directly with its scholars. The scope of the school of Alexandria was not limited to theological subjects; science, mathematics and the humanities were also taught there: The question and answer method of commentary began there, and 15 centuries before Braille, wood-carving techniques were in use there by blind scholars to read and write. The Theological college of the Catechetical School of Alexandria was re-established in 1893.
In the 3rd century, Alexandria was plundered by the Romans and the city lost its significance, but the Church survived and thrived and continued to contribute to early Christianity. The Nicene Creed, which is recited in all churches throughout the world, was authored by Saint Athanasius, the Pope of Alexandria for 46 years, from 327 A.D. to 373 A.D.
On 21 July 365, Alexandria
was devastated by a tsunami (caused
by the Crete earthquake), an event annually commemorated years later as a
"day of horror".
Under the authority of the Eastern Roman
Empire of Constantinople, the Patriarchs and Popes of Alexandria played leading
roles in Christian theology. They were invited everywhere to speak about the
Christian faith. Saint Cyril,
Pope of Alexandria, was the head of the Ecumenical Council which was held in
Ephesus in the year 430 A.D. It was said that the bishops of the Church of
Alexandria did nothing but spend all their time in meetings. This leading role,
however, did not fare well when politics started to intermingle with Church
affairs. It started when the Emperor Marcianus interfered with matters of faith
in the Church. He was immediately rebuffed by Saint Dioscorus, the Pope of
Alexandria who was later exiled.Initially, after the Arab invasion in 641, the local indigenous Egyptians were one of the main contributors to the Egyptian navy and they served the news Arab rulers faithfully, figuring prominently in the capture of the island of Rhodes. But this was not to last. Eventually, the indigenous Egyptians suffered periodic bouts of severe persecution which lasts to this day. In the modern period, these persecutions have intensified since the ‘80s and sometimes, even included Christians who are not Copts. Some of the most egregious incidents that took place in Alexandria since 9/11 were: 2005 – an Arab stabs 2 people during a Muslim demonstration, one of the victims was a nun; 2006 – a stabbing spree outside a church kills an elderly man and injures 3; 2011 – 23 are killed and 77 injured when a suicide bomber blew up a church during and New Year’s Day church mass; 2013 – a group of Arabs stab a Coptic woman on the street injuring her; 5 were murdered outside a church; 1 was killed and 3 injured when a church was bombed; a Coptic taxi driver is dragged from his car and decapitated; 2015 – terrorists open fire on a church bus, miraculously, only 4 were injured; 2017 – a suicide bomber kills 18 Copts and injures 48 just outside a church; a stabbing spree at a church left one guard injured.
Here is a brief summary of Alexandria’s other ancient sites:
The Heptastadion was the ancient causeway built by the local population to connect the city to Pharos Island on which, the famous ancient Lighthouse stood. In the ensuing centuries since, this area was abandoned – the Lighthouse slowly decayed and the causeway filled up with soot. The Lighthouse was finally destroyed by an earthquake in the 14th century and it was replaced with the Mameluke Citadel of Qaitbay. Today, the former causeway (now occupied by an Arab settlement Ras al Tin) has created 2 harbors. The one on the west side, the busiest, is the Western Harbor. On the east is the Eastern Harbor. The Alexandria National Museum was founded in 2003 on the site of an old Arab palace on Tariq Al-Horreya Street and contains about 1,800 artifacts that narrate the story of Egypt, and Alexandria in particular; the ancient Coptic Church of Saint Mary and the Bibliotheca Alexandrina is located at the eastern end of the harbor just south of the tiny peninsula that juts into the sea. The Bibliotheca was originally a Hellenist library built in the 3rd century BCE. The present library was opened in 2003.
The city center lies
to the south of the Eastern Harbor. Here, in the neighborhood of Mahattat al Raml on Coptic Church Street, is located the
grand Cathedral of Saint Mark, where
the Coptic Pope, the leader of Egypt’s indigenous people, officiates. About a
mile or so east of the Western Harbor is Pompey’s
Pillars located on an ancient acropolis. It is still standing today. Below
ground, underneath the site is the Serpaeum,
dedicated to the god Serapis, and nearby, are ancient catacombs.
Lying to
the west of the city is Lake Mariout,
roughly 20 miles long and 2 miles wide and separated from the Mediterranean Sea
by a strip of land about a mile in width. At the westernmost end of the Lake is
the ruined town of Taposiris Magna,
today, the Abu Sir District of the Borg al Arab settlement. Many ancient Roman
and Greek ruins are scattered throughout the area, and among these, are the well-preserved
remains of the Temple of Osiris.
Nearby, is the supposed burial place of
Cleopatra.
List of local Coptic churches and
monasteries in the Diocese of Alexandria:
St. Mark Coptic
Orthodox Cathedral (Ramleh, Alexandria, founded as part of College Saint Marc. Located on
Port Said Street, the College is
multi-denominational and conducts services according to the Latin Catholic,
Coptic Catholic and Coptic Orthodox rites.)
St.
Samuel & St. Abraam Coptic Orthodox Church (Alexandria)
The
Saints Coptic Orthodox Church (Alexandria)
St.
Damiana Coptic Orthodox Church (Arif Bey)
St.
George Coptic Orthodox Church (Anhar)
St.
George Coptic Orthodox Church (Mattaqi, Bakos)
St.
Cyril I Coptic Orthodox Church (Cleopatra)
St.
Mary Coptic Orthodox Church (Fawakih)
St.
Menas Coptic Orthodox Church (Hurriya, Flemeng)
St.
George Coptic Orthodox Church (Gianaclis)
St.
Mercurius Coptic Orthodox Church (Hadrah)
St.
Mercurius Coptic Orthodox Church (Hilmiya)
St.
George Coptic Orthodox Church (Maks)
St.
Shenouda Coptic Orthodox Church (Maks)
St.
George Coptic Orthodox Church (Mandara)
St.
Menas Coptic Orthodox Church (Mandara)
Basilica
of Arcadius Coptic Orthodox Church (Mariout)
St.
Menas Coptic Orthodox Church (Mariout)
St.
George & St. Anthony Coptic Orthodox Church (Moharam
Bek)
St.
Mary Coptic Orthodox Church (Moharam
Bek)
St.
Mary Coptic Orthodox Church (Assafra, Montaza)
St.
George Coptic Orthodox Church (Saqf, Montaza)
St.
Mark & St. Peter the Martyr Coptic Orthodox Church (Sidi Bishr, Montaza)
St.
Mary & St. Joseph Coptic Orthodox Church (Semoha)
Archangel Michael Coptic Orthodox Church (Shagarat
al-Durr)
St.
George Coptic Orthodox Church (Canal al-Suways, Shatby)
St.
Theodore Coptic Orthodox Church (Canal al-Suways, Shatby)
St.
George Coptic Orthodox Church (Sporting,
Alexandria)
St.
Peter the Martyr Coptic Orthodox Church (Brucheion) (destroyed)
St.
Theodore Coptic Orthodox Church (Brucheion) (destroyed)
Archangel
Raphael Coptic Orthodox Church (Island of Pharos) (destroyed)
St.
Sophia Coptic Orthodox Church (Island of Pharos) (destroyed)
Archangel
Michael Coptic Orthodox Church (destroyed
in the 7th century)
Archangel Michael Coptic Orthodox Cathedral (destroyed
in the 7th century)
St.
Athanasius Coptic Orthodox Church (destroyed
in the 7th century)
Virgin
Mary Coptic Orthodox Church (destroyed
in the 7th century)
St.
John the Baptist Coptic Orthodox Church (Pompey's Pillar) (destroyed in the 10th century)
St.
Damiana Coptic Orthodox Convent - (Damietta)
St. George Coptic Orthodox Monastery -
(Mit Damsis, Damietta)
St.
Mercurius Coptic Orthodox Nunnery -
(Alexandria)
Ennaton
Coptic Orthodox Monastery - (Dakahlia)
- (uninhabited)
Metanoia
Coptic Orthodox Monastery - (East Alexandria)
- (uninhabited)
Oktikaidekaton
Coptic Orthodox Monastery -
(Alexandria) - (uninhabited)
St.
Cyprius (Dair Qabriyus) Coptic Orthodox Monastery - (Northeast Alexandria) - (uninhabited)
St. Menas Coptic Orthodox Monastery - (Abu Mena) - (Destroyed)
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