View of Alexandria

The Egyptian city of Alexandria, which takes its name from Alexander the Great who founded it circa 332 B.C., is situated on a narrow peninsular between Lake Mareotis and the Mediterranean Sea, and is very close to the western mouth of the River Nile. Blessed with two harbours thanks to Alexander the Great's construction of the mole joining the island of Pharos to the city, Alexandria has long been one of the main ports of entry to the lands of the desert and most notably Egypt herself. Once the European nations, particularly England, began to acquire territory in India, Alexandria assumed a new importance as the first stopping place for travellers taking the overland route to the sub-continent, a journey vastly quicker than the alternative involving a long and slow voyage through two oceans via the Cape of Good Hope.