Timeline of Alexandria

The following is a timeline of the history of the city of Alexandria, Egypt.

This is a dynamic list and may never be able to satisfy particular standards for completeness. You can help by adding missing items with reliable sources.

Greek era (331–30 BC)

• 331 BC – Rhacotis renamed "Alexandria" by Alexander the Great (approximate date).
• 330 BC – Cleomenes of Naucratis appointed Governor of Egypt by Alexander, begins to turn the small village into the Capitol of Egypt.

323–30 BC

Egypt's capital under Ptolemaic dynasty

• 323 BC – Alexander dies. Ptolemy I Soter appointed "Satrap" of Egypt.
• 305 BC – Ptolemy I proclaims himself king.
• 283 BC – Library of Alexandria opens (approximate date).
• 247 BC – Lighthouse of Alexandria built (approximate date).
• 170 BC – Seleucid "Emperor" Antiochus IV Epiphanes briefly conquers Egypt
• 168 BC – First Roman intervention. City briefly invaded.
• 1st century BC – Caesareum built.

48 BC–365 AD Romans in power

• 48 BC – Julius Caesar conquers Alexandria.
• 48 BC – Great Royal Library of Alexandria burned.
• 47 BC – Siege of Alexandria.
• 47 BC – Caesar victorious.
• 44 BC – Assassination of Julius Caesar in Rome.
• 40 BC – Cleopatra VII marries Roman triumvir Mark Antony.
• 31 BC – Death of Antony and Cleopatra.
• 30 BC – Battle of Alexandria.
• 29 BC – Augustus takes city. Cornelius Gallus first prefect of Egypt.
• 25 BC – Strabo, the Greek geographer and philosopher, visits Alexandria.
• 19 AD – Germanicus resident in city.

Alexandria, 16th century

• 38 AD – Pogrom against Jews.
• 115 AD – City sacked during a Jewish revolt. Possible genocide.
• 122 AD – Hadrian rebuilds city.
• 175 AD – Failed revolution of Avidius Cassius.
• 176 AD – Catechetical School of Alexandria (oldest such school in the world) founded. Some records say 190 AD; see article.
• 297 AD – Pompey's Pillar built.
• 365 AD – The 365 Crete earthquake affects the Greek island of Crete with a maximum Mercalli intensity of XI (Extreme), causing a destructive tsunami that affects the coasts of Libya and Egypt, especially Alexandria. Many thousands were killed.

Byzantine rule 390–650

• 391 – Theodosius I orders destruction of pagan temples.
• 395 – Roman Empire formally split in two. The official start of so-called Byzantine Empire.
• 415 – Lynching of the philosopher Hypatia by a radical Christian mob. The expulsion of the Jews from Alexandria, in 414 or 415 under the leadership of Saint Cyril. Around 100,000 Jews expelled—another Pogrom or "Alexandria Expulsion".[1][2]
• 619 – City besieged; Sassanid Persians in power.
• 641–642 – City besieged; Arabs in power;[3] capital of Egypt relocates from Alexandria to Fustat.
• 645 – Byzantines back in power.
• 646 – Arabs back in power, following the Battle of Nikiou

Muslim Rule 700–1800

• 680 – Saint Mark's Coptic Orthodox Cathedral rebuilt.
• 956 – Earthquake.
• 1303 – Earthquake.[4]
• 1323 – Earthquake.[4] The Pharos lighthouse collapses.
• 1354 – Eliyahu Hanavi Synagogue built.
• 1365 – October: City besieged by Cypriot forces.
• 1381 – Zaradel Synagogue established[5]
• 1477 – Citadel of Qaitbay established.
• 1519 – Ottoman conquest
• 1775 – El-Mursi Abul Abbas Mosque built.
• 1798 – French forces under Napoleon Bonaparte besiege and conquer what is now just a town.
• 1800 – Nadir of the city. Population: a mere 8,000.[6]

19th century

• 1801
  • 21 March: Battle between French and British forces.
  • 17 August – 2 September: City besieged by British forces.
  • 2 September: Capitulation to British.
• 1807
  • 7 March - September 25: City occupied by the British forces
• 1819 – Mahmoudiyah Canal constructed.[7]
• 1821 – Population: 12,528.[6]
• 1829 – Dockyard and arsenal open.^[citation needed]
• 1833 – April: Luxor Obelisk shipped to Paris.
• 1834 – Ras el-Tin Palace construction begins.
• 1840 – Population: 60,000.[6]
• 1847 – Ras el-Tin Palace built.
• 1850 – Eliyahu Hanavi Synagogue restored.
• 1853 – Azouz Synagogue rebuilt.
• 1856
  • Cairo-Alexandria railway begins operating.[8]
  • Cathedral of Evangelismos dedicated.
• 1859
  • Institut d'Egypte founded.[9]
  • Theatre Europeen reopens.[10]
• 1860 – Alexandria Ramleh Train Station established.
• 1862 – Theatre Zizinia built.[10]
• 1861 – Cotton boom.
• 1863
  • Horse-drawn trams begin operating.
  • Population: 170,000.[6]
• 1865 – Gas lighting introduced.[6]
• 1865–1869 – New port created.
• 1872 – Population c. 200,000 (ca. 20% foreigners).
• 1873
  • Breakwater built in harbour.[8]
  • Statue unveiled in Midan Muhammad Ali.[6]
• 1875 – Al-Ahram newspaper begins publication.
• 1877 – One of Cleopatra's Needles shipped to London.
• 1880 – The Egyptian Gazette launched in Alexandria.
• 1880 – One of Cleopatra's Needles shipped to New York City.
• 1880 – Zaradel Synagogue restored.
• 1881 – al-Tankit wa al-Tabkit newspaper begins publication.[6]
• 1882
  • 11 July: Anti-European riots; city bombarded by British naval forces.[6]
  • Population: 232,626.[6]
• 1883 – Alexandria Stock Exchange founded.
• 1887 – El-Hakaneia Palace built.
• 1892
  • Graeco-Roman Museum established.
  • Salamlek Palace built.
• 1896 - First Cinema Projection in the city took place.

20th century

Aerial view of Alexandria, 1990

• 1901 – Green Synagogue established.
• 1902
  • Electric trams begin operating.
  • Victoria College founded.
• 1903 – Khedivial yacht club built.[8]
• 1905 – Sea wall constructed.[8]
• 1907 – Population: 332,246.[8]
• 1910 – Hellenic Football Club Alexandria formed.
• 1910 – Sasson Synagogue established.
• 1914 – Al Ittihad Alexandria Club formed.
• 1917 – Population c. 460,000 (c. 20% foreigners).
• 1919 – Princess Fatma Al-Zahra palace built.
• 1920 – Castro Synagogue established.
• 1920 – Nezah Israel Synagogue established.
• 1921 – Alexandria Opera House opens.
• 1922 – Shaaré Tefila Synagogue established.
• 1925 – Scottish School for Girls founded.
• 1927 – Population c. 600,000 (ca. 17% foreigners).
• 1928 – Collège Saint Marc founded.
• 1929
  • Alexandria Stadium opens.
  • English Boys' School established.
• 1930 – Alexandria Aquarium opens.^[citation needed]
• 1932 – Al-Haramlik Palace built.
• 1934 – Corniche constructed.[11]
• 1935 – English Girls College founded.
• 1937 – Eliahou Hazan Synagogue established.
• 1938 – Publication of The Egyptian Gazette moved from Alexandria to Cairo.
• 1941 – 19 December: Conflict between Italian and British naval forces.
• 1942 – Farouk University established.
• 1947 – Population: 919,024;[12] (c. 11% foreigners).
• 1950 – Hassab hospital established.
• 1952 – Egyptian coup d'état.
• 1954 – 26 October: Alleged assassination attempt of Nasser during speech in Mansheya.
• 1958 – Alexandria Zoo opens.
• 1960 – Siddiq Abdul-Latif becomes mayor.
• 1964 – September: Arab League summit held.
• 1965 – Population c. 1.5 million.[13]
• 1969 – St. Takla Haymanot's Church consecrated.
• 1974 – Population: 2,259,000.[14]
• 1980 – El Alamein-Alexandria highway constructed.[15]
• 1986
  • Ismail El-Gawsaqi becomes mayor.
  • Port of Dekheila constructed.
  • Royal Jewelry Museum inaugurated.
• 1990 – Senghor University founded.
• 1992 – Population: 3,380,000 (estimate).[16]
• 1996 – Alexandria Institute Of Technology founded.
• 1997 – Abdel-Salam El-Mahgoub becomes mayor.
• 1999 – Swedish Institute Alexandria established.

21st century

• 2001 – Alexandria Center of Arts opens.
• 2002
  • Bibliotheca Alexandrina inaugurated.
  • City named World Book Capital by UNESCO.
• 2003
  • Harras El-Hedoud Stadium opens.
  • Alexandria National Museum inaugurated.
• 2006
  • Adel Labib becomes mayor.
  • January–February: 2006 Africa Cup of Nations held.
  • Population: 4,110,015.
  • Pharos University established.
• 2007
  • Borg El Arab Stadium opens.
  • San Stefano Grand Plaza built.^[citation needed]
• 2009 – Sadat Museum inaugurated.
• 2010 – Population: 4,358,439.[17]
• 2011
  • Egyptian revolution
  • 1 January: Bombing of Saints Church.
• 2012 – Protests against state president Mohamed Morsi.
• 2013 – January: Anti-Morsi protests.[18]
• 2017 – Population: 5,163,750 (urban agglomeration).[19]

See also

• History of Alexandria
• List of mayors of Alexandria since 1960 (in French)
• Of Alexandria
• Timelines of other cities in Egypt: Cairo, Port Said
• Timeline of Egypt [fr]

References

1. http://www.research-projects.uzh.ch/p498.htm, Cyril of Alexandria, Against Julian: Critical edition of books 1-10, page 503
2. Alexandria in Late Antiquity: Topography and Social Conflict By Christopher Haas, JHU Press, Nov 4, 2002 - History - 520 pages, Part IV "Jewish Community"
3. "Timelines: Egypt: AD 642 to present", World Book, USA
4. Baedeker 1911.
5. Synagogues listed here:http://www.nebidaniel.org/synagogues.php?lang=en
6. Reimer 1988.
7. Homans 1859.
8. Britannica 1910.
9. Donald Malcolm Reid (1993). "The Egyptian Geographical Society: From Foreign Laymen's Society to Indigenous Professional Association". Poetics Today. 14 (3): 539–572. doi:10.2307/1773284. JSTOR 1773284.
10. P.C. Sadgrove (2007), The Egyptian Theatre in the Nineteenth Century (1799–1882), Garnet Publishing, ISBN 9780863723223
11. "Alexandria". ArchNet.org. Archived from the original on 25 February 2013. Retrieved 23 January 2013.
12. "Population of capital city and cities of 100,000 or more inhabitants". Demographic Yearbook 1955. New York: Statistical Office of the United Nations.
13. Der Volks-Brockhaus, Wiesbaden, 1965
14. United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs, Statistical Office (1976). "Population of capital city and cities of 100,000 and more inhabitants". Demographic Yearbook 1975. New York. pp. 253–279.
15. Sweco; Nordic Consulting Group (2003), Review of the Implementation Status of the Trans African Highways and the Missing Links (PDF), vol. 2: Description of Corridors, African Development Bank and United Nations Economic Commission for Africa
16. United Nations Department for Economic and Social Information and Policy Analysis, Statistics Division (1997). "Population of capital cities and cities of 100,000 and more inhabitants". 1995 Demographic Yearbook. New York. pp. 262–321. {{cite book}}: |author= has generic name (help)
17. "Population of capital cities and cities of 100,000 or more inhabitants". Demographic Yearbook 2011. United Nations Statistics Division.
18. "Fatal clashes on Egypt uprising anniversary". BBC News. 25 January 2013.
19. "Table 8 - Population of capital cities and cities of 100,000 or more inhabitants", Demographic Yearbook – 2018, United Nations

This article incorporates information from the French Wikipedia and the German Wikipedia.

Bibliography

Published in 18th–19th century

• Carsten Niebuhr (1792). "Of the City of Alexandria". Travels through Arabia. Translated by Robert Heron. Edinburgh: R. Morison and Son. hdl:2027/hvd.hxj9mv – via HathiTrust.
• H. A. S. Dearborn (1819), "Alexandria", A Memoir on the Commerce and Navigation of the Black Sea, Boston: Wells & Lilly
• Jedidiah Morse; Richard C. Morse (1823), "Alexandria", A New Universal Gazetteer (4th ed.), New Haven: S. Converse
• Josiah Conder (1827), "Topographical Description: Alexandria", The Modern Traveller, London: J.Duncan, OCLC 8876014
• Gardner Wilkinson (1847), "Alexandria", Hand-book for Travellers in Egypt, J. Murray, OCLC 23931478
• J. Willoughby Rosse (1858). "Alexandria". Index of Dates ... Facts in the Chronology and History of the World. London: H.G. Bohn. hdl:2027/uva.x030807786 – via HathiTrust.
• I. Smith Homans (1859), "Alexandria", Cyclopedia of Commerce and Commercial Navigation (2nd ed.), New York: Harper
• Bayard Taylor (1874), "Alexandria After 22 Years", Egypt and Iceland in the Year 1874, New York: G.P. Putnam
• H. de Vaujany (1885), Alexandrie et la Basse-Égypte (in French), Paris: Librairie Plon, OL 24146809M
• Ali Mubarak (1886–1889). "v.7: Alexandria". Al-Khitat (in Arabic). al-Maṭbaʻah al-Kubrá al-Amīrīyah.
• Ibrahim-Hilmy (1886), "Alexandria", The literature of Egypt and the Soudan from the earliest times to the year 1885 inclusive: a bibliography, London: Trübner and Co.
• "Alexandria", Appleton's European Guide Book, New York: D. Appleton & Co., 1888
• Library, Boston Public (1893). "Egypt: Places and Cities: Alexandria". Bulletin of the Public Library of the City of Boston (94).

Published in 20th century

• "Alexandria". Guide to Palestine and Egypt. London: Macmillan and Co. 1901.
• T.G. Bonney; et al. (1904), "Alexandria", The Mediterranean, its Storied Cities and Venerable Ruins, New York: J. Pott
• Ernest Alfred Wallis Budge (1906), "Alexandria", Cook's Handbook for Egypt and the Sudan (2nd ed.), London: T. Cook & Son, OCLC 7434398
• "Alexandria". Guide to Egypt and the Sudan (5th ed.). London: Macmillan and Co. 1908.
• Cana, Frank Richardson; Atkinson, Charles Francis; Hogarth, David George (1910). "Alexandria (Egypt)" . Encyclopædia Britannica. Vol. 1 (11th ed.). pp. 568–572.
• "Alexandria", The Mediterranean, Leipzig: Karl Baedeker, 1911, OCLC 490068
• Rhuvon Guest (1913–1936), "al-Iskandarīya", Encyclopaedia of Islam (1st ed.), Brill, ISBN 9789004082656 [1]
• Breccia, Evaristo (1914), Alexandrea ad Aegyptum; guide de la ville ancienne et moderne et du Musée gréco-romain (in French), Bergamo: Istituto italiano d'arti grafiche, OL 13523639M
• Jonet (1921). Atlas historique de la ville et des ports d'Alexandrie (in French). Cairo.
• E. M. Forster (1922), Alexandria: a History and a Guide, Alexandria: W. Morris
• Michael J. Reimer (1988). "Colonial Bridgehead: Social and Spatial Change in Alexandria, 1850–1882". International Journal of Middle East Studies. 20 (4): 531–553. doi:10.1017/S0020743800053885. JSTOR 163400. S2CID 162806230.
• Noelle Watson, ed. (1996). "Alexandria". International Dictionary of Historic Places: Middle East and Africa. UK: Routledge. ISBN 1884964036.

Published in 21st century

• Paul Tiyambe Zeleza; Dickson Eyoh, eds. (2003). "Alexandria, Egypt". Encyclopedia of Twentieth-Century African History. Routledge. ISBN 0415234794.
• Kevin Shillington, ed. (2005). "Alexandria". Encyclopedia of African History. Fitzroy Dearborn. ISBN 978-1-57958-245-6.
• Josef W. Meri, ed. (2006). "Alexandria". Medieval Islamic Civilization. Routledge. p. 30. ISBN 978-0-415-96691-7.
• Gabor Agoston; Bruce Alan Masters, eds. (2009). "Alexandria". Encyclopedia of the Ottoman Empire. Facts on File. p. 33. ISBN 978-1-4381-1025-7.
• David Abulafia (2011). "A Tale of Four and a Half Cities, 1900–1950". The Great Sea: A Human History of the Mediterranean. Oxford University Press. p. 588. ISBN 978-0-19-975263-8. (about Alexandria, Jaffa, Salonika, Smyrna)

External links

• "(Alexandria)". Directory of Open Access Journals. UK. (Bibliography of open access articles)
• "(Alexandria)" – via Qatar National Library, Qatar Digital Library. (Images, etc.)
• "(Alexandria)" – via Europeana. (Images, etc.)
• "(Alexandria)" – via Digital Public Library of America. (Images, etc.)
• "(Alexandria)". Internet Library Sub-Saharan Africa. Germany: Frankfurt University Library. (Bibliography)
• "(Alexandria)". Connecting-Africa. Leiden, Netherlands: African Studies Centre. (Bibliography)
• "(Alexandria)". AfricaBib.org. (Bibliography)