ALEXANDRIA: The City that Changed the World

A Sunday Times and TLS Book of the Year, here is a fitting tribute to a city that has survived, changed and grown for so many decades. A city drawn in sand. Inspired by the tales of Homer and his own ambitions of empire, Alexander the Great sketched the idea of a city onto the sparsely populated Egyptian coastline. He did not live to see Alexandria built, but his vision of a sparkling metropolis that celebrated learning and diversity was swiftly realised and still stands today. Situated on the cusp of Africa, Europe and Asia, great civilisations met in Alexandria. Together, Greeks and Egyptians, Romans and Jews created a global knowledge capital of enormous influence. The inventive collaboration of its citizens shaped modern philosophy, science, religion and more. In pitched battles, later empires, from the Arabs and Ottomans to the French and British, laid claim to the city, but its independent spirit endures. In this sweeping biography of the great city, Islam Issa takes us on a journey across millennia, rich in big ideas, brutal tragedies and distinctive characters, from Cleopatra to Napoleon. In the words of writer Michael Wood: "At once a moving family memoir, an exciting travel book, and a grand-sweep history of one of the most thrilling cities on earth." Professor Issa is an award-winning British-Egyptian author, broadcaster and curator. 2024 paperback edition, 476pp with many maps and colour photos.