'
Since being revived by Mohamed Ali in the 19th century Alexandria has held a special position in the hearts and minds of all Egyptians. It has been our window on the West. It is where Al-Ahram newspaper was first born, home to national figures. It was where Mohamed Bayoumi established Egyptian cinema and Mahmoud Said founded Egypt's modern plastic art. But after the departure of foreign communities from the city and the consolidation of the ideology of the 1952 Revolution across the cultural arena, Alexandria became the widow of the Middle East, losing most of its glamour. There have been recent attempts to revive the city but there is too much distance between Alexandrians and the huge cultural entity that is the Bibliotheca Alexandrina, a foreign building built on their land is how it is often described'

parent page (18 - 24 September 2008, issue #915)