THE ANCIENT WORLD'S GREATEST CITY

When Alexander the Great founded a settlement at the junction of three continents in 331 BC, he created a metropolitan powerhouse that would shape global history. Islam Issa hails the genius of ancient Alexandria

- Islam Issa

When the Macedonian king Alexander the Great arrived at the barren island of Pharos in 331 BC, he was still in his mid-twenties and barely five years into his reign. The ambitious young warrior had been drawn to this spot on Egypt’s Mediterranean shore after reading about it in the epic poetry of Homer, most revered of the ancient Greek writers. A lover of literature, Alexander had even styled his hair in long locks to emulate Homer’s hero, Achilles.

What he found was a tiny, lifeless island facing a series of small fishing villages scattered across a windswept coast. A few miles to the south on the mainland spread a vast freshwater lake, around which the ancient Egyptians had constructed a canal network.

In his unceasing quest for world domination, this was just the location for which Alexander had long searched – at the intersection of Africa, Europe and Asia. And when he arrived at this strategic hotspot, he dropped to his knees in a state of ecstasy and began scattering barley across the sandy ground, roughly designing the layout of what would soon become the world’s first modern city – a magnificent capital that would change the course of history. Named in honour of its founder, Alexandria was established that very same year, with a causeway measuring seven stadia (around 1.2km) built to connect Pharos to the coast.

Alexander himself was soon on his way eastward in search of his next adventure; he didn’t even wait to watch his new city being built. But its fate was now set, associated with a founding myth and a living hero, and with both Alexander’s city plan and a trusted architect to enact it.