Alexandria: Its Town Planning Development

Author(s): Mahmoud Riad

Source: The Town Planning Review, Vol. 15, No. 4 (Dec., 1933), pp. 233-248
Published by: Liverpool University Press
Stable URL: http://www.jstor.org/stable/40101080
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 THE
TOWN PLANNING REVIEW
Vol. XV December,1933 No. 4

<ALEXAND%IA
ITS TOWN 'PLANNING DEVELOPMENT*

Introduction
A study of the history of Alexandria must necessarily start many
thousand years ago ; before there was any civilisation in Egypt ; before
the delta of the Nile had been formed. At this time the whole of the
country as far south as Cairolay under the sea, the shores of which were a
limestone desert. The coast line was regular except at the north-west
corner,where an extraordinaryspur, not more than a mile wide but many
miles long, jutted out from the mainland. This spur can be traced at
its base by the modernBahig, half-way down by Alexandria,and at its tip
by the headland of Aboukir.
In the course of centuries the Nile, issuing from a crack in the wall
of limestone, carried down the mud of Upper Egypt and deposited it
through the slackeningof its current. The spur in the north-west corner
proved a shelter not only from the sea but also from the prevailing wind.
Graduallythe mud began to silt up against it, alluvial land appeared,the
huge shallow lake of Mariout was formed and the current of the Nile,
unable to escape through the limestone barrier, rounded the headland
of Aboukir and entered the outer sea by what was known in historical
times as the " Canopic" mouth. (See Fig. 1.)
This explains one characteristic element of the general lay-out of
Alexandria- the long narrowridge edged on the north by the sea, and on
the south by the lake and flat fields. Another element equally important
to Alexandria is its harbour.
To the north of the main spur and running more or less parallel to it
there is a second limestone ridge. It is much shorter than the main spur
and also lower, being in places below the surface of the sea, in the form of
* This article is based on the Thesis prepared Mr. M. Riad
by far the Diploma in Civic Design, University
of Liverpool.
233
ALEXANDRI A

reefs. Its importance, however, as a breakwater turning the water

between the two ridges into a natural harbour,will be readily appreciated.
This subsidiary spur can be traced from Agama as a series of rocks across
the entrance to the modern harbour to the hammer-headedpromontory
of Ras-el-Tin, and then as a second series of rocks across the entrance to
the eastern harbourto the promontoryof Silsileh, where it finally rejoins
the main spur.
Such are the main features of Alexandria ; a limestone ridge with
harbours on one side of it and alluvial country on the other.
There seems to have been three early Settlements on this remarkable
stretch of coast. Firstly, the island of Pharos. Homer says, " Thereis an
island in the surging sea, which they call *Pharos,' lying oft Egypt.
It has a harbourwith good anchorage,and hence they put out to sea after
drawing water." This island is now the promontory of Ras-el-Tin, the
intervening channel having silted up. There are no traces of any early
settlement on its soil, but in the sea to the north and west of the masonry
of a prehistoric harbour has been found. Secondly, Rhakotis, a small
" "
Egyptian town built on the rise where Pompey's Pillar now stands.
It existed as long ago as 1300 B.C.,for statues of that period have been
found there. Thirdly, an early Settlement which appears in Greek
legend and was known in historical times as Canopus. It was situated at
the tip of the limestoneridge, wherethe Nile once enteredthe sea.
The position of Alexandriaon the southernshoreof the Mediterranean
sea ensures cool breezes from the sea during the greater part of the year,
whilst the hot desert winds which blow in the summerover Cairoand the
country to the south are of infrequent occurrence. The temperaturein
summer does not usually exceed 90 degrees, but during the late summer
months the humidity is often very high. The rainy season comes during
the winter months.

The Greco-Egyptian Period

After the conquest of Egypt, Alexander, influencedby geographical
considerations,chose as the site of his new city the village of Rhakotis,
where Alexandrianow stands, and he included all the groundbetween the
sea and the lake.
It was his intention to create a vast Greco-Egyptiancity to serve a
twofold purpose. Firstly, its harbour was to be a central mart both
for the produce of the Nile Valley and also for goods imported from the
south by way of the Red Sea, which werethen to be distributedthroughout
the world by the Greekmerchants. Secondly, all the beauty of Hellenic
234
A L E X A N D R I A

life and culture was to be brought to bear upon Egypt. In Alexandria,

the genius of the Greeks was to find a new home to release Egypt from
the hands of past centuries and to make it a controllable member of
that mighty Greekdominion.
It would be well to point out at this stage, three salient featuresof the
conditions as they existed at that time :-
(1) There was the island of Pharos. (2) There was through water
communication between the Mediterraneanand the Red Sea.
The Ancient Egyptians had cut a canal from the Nile at Memphis
down to the salt lakes which begin in modern Ismailila. Thus,
Alexandria stood a maritime gateway to India and the East.
(3) Lake Mariout was much deeper then than it is now and
was directly connected with the Nile. It was situated behind
the town to the south and was connected to the western arm of
the Nile by an artificial canal which it would be easy to extend.
Thus the bay behind Pharos Island offered ample shelter for many
sea-going vessels and the inland lake formed a harbourfor thousands of
Nile-boats. A city, rising between the two, would be situated
advantageouslyalike for imports and for exports. All these advantages
of site influenced Alexander to give orders for the measurement and
lay-out of the ground and foundations. He appointed Dinocrates as
architect and commissionedhim to prepare a plan. Unfortunately the
buildings erected to this plan have suffered mutilation and destruction
to a greater extent than probably any other ancient city in the world,
with the result that it is almost impossible to identify them in a precise
manner or to indicate their exact sites.
The city was oblongin generaloutline and occupiedthe strip between
the lake and the sea. The principal characteristic of its plan was the
predominanceof straight lines, for as a rule the streets cut one another
at right angles.
The main street (the Canopic)still exists in part as the Rue Rosette.
It ran almost due east and west and although this was wrong in that it
was cut off from the cool north wind, it was the obvious direction when
taken in relation to the shape of the site. Westwardit terminated at the
sea coast ; eastward it proceeded to Canopus It was 100 feet wide
and was the natural highway along the limestone spur. It is believed
that at one time the CanopicRoad was borderedwith a colonnade.
Crossing the Canopic Street and following the line of the present
Rue Nebi Daniel was the second main artery, the street of the Soma.
This was also 100 feet wide and intersected the Canopic Street almost
in the centre of the city. It started at the lake harbourand ran northward
to the sea.
235
ALEXANDR1 A

Parallel to these two streets ran others dividing the city into regular
blocks similar to the American grid-iron plan. It was not picturesque
but the Greeks did not desire picturesqueness. They liked to lay their
towns out evenly- Rhodes and Halicarnassushad just been plotted on
similar lines- and the only natural feature they cared to utilise was the
sea. A series of canals and aqueducts passing under the streets formed
the only relieving features. The building blocks were labelled according
to the letters of the Greek alphabet.
Caesar gives the following account of Alexandria as it was in his
time :- " The Pharos is a tower, exceedingly high and of wonderful
structure, situated on an island, from which it took its name. This
island, situated opposite to Alexandria,forms a harbour,but great heaps
of stones brought from the mountains have been thrown into the sea to
the length of nine hundred paces, and it is now joined by a narrow road
and bridge to the town. The Egyptians have erected private dwellings
on the island and there are also rows of houses, of such extent that they
resemble a town. The whole city is honeycombed with subterranean
canals reaching to the Nile. By this means, water is conveyed into the
private houses, where by degrees it grows clear and ready for domestic
use. Water brought direct from the river is foul and muddy, but the
common people have to be content with it, for there is not a single
fountain in the city."
Alexandria, from the time of its foundation, had a surrounding
wall, the maximum length of which might be reckoned at about ten
miles. This wall was fortified by towers placed at short distances apart.
The course of the wall on the north-easternside followed the line of the
coast as far as Cape Lochias, and then turned towards the canal.
At Alexander's death, the building of the new town was not very far
advanced, and it was not until the reign of Ptolemy II (b.c. 285-246)
that Alexandriabecame a city whose beauty excited the admirationof the
ancient world. (See Fig. 2.)
The Ptolemaics connected the island of Pharos with the mainland
by mole of quarried stone. This huge mass of masonry was called
a
the Heptastadium and measured seven-eighths of a mile in length.
It contained the aqueduct by which the island was supplied with water,
and divided the harbourinto two basins, which still exist. Two openings
were made near the extremities of the Heptastadium to facilitate direct
and rapid communication between the two harbours. These openings
were spanned by bridges supported on high columns and during Caesar's
time were guarded by two forts.
The Eastern, or New Harbour, which is no longer used, was in
236
 Plate 39

i-u;. i. ALKXASDRIA. Map of the Month of the Ml,:

 Plate 40

Fig. 2. ALEXANDRIA. Map of Ancient Alexandria. Ptolemaicperiod, 331-30 B.C.

Fig. 3. ALEXANDRIA. Map showingthe Arab City, by J. Janssonu, 1657.

Plate 41
A LEXANDRIA

ancient times called the Great Harbour (MagnusPortus). The Western

Basin, known as the Old Harbour, in which the traveller from Europe
now disembarks, was called in Grecian days Eunostos Portus. The
Magnus Portus, the entrance to which, it seems, was very difficult, was
surrounded by fine buildings. A jetty starting from Cape Lochias
protected the harbour from northerly winds and currents, while on the
opposite side the Pharos island offered natural protection.
At the extremity of this island, quite close to the entrance of the
port, a lighthouse, about 400 feet high, was erected, taking its name
from that of the island Pharos. It served to show the way into the
harbour and was reckoned one of the most remarkable wonders of
Alexandriaand of the ancient world. Built during the reign of Ptolemy
Philadelphus (about 280 B.C.), it retained its form and functions
unimpaired up to the Arab Conquest (a.d. 641). Various restorations
and further disasters occurred later and finally it disappeared in the
fourteenth century. In the middle of the harbour, towards the south-
east and close by the promontoryof Cape Lochias, there was an island
called Antirhodes. On a calm day, it is still possible to perceive its shape
underthe water. A royal palace stood on this island and there was a small
inner harbourreserved for the private use of the royal family.
A jetty was built out into the harbouralmost in front of the present
Ramleh Station, and at the end of this promontoryMarkAntony had the
Timoniumbuilt, a sort of philosophicalhermitage, to which he retreated
from time to time.
Later Imperial days marked a more frequent use of Port Eunostos
(Westernharbour),in preferenceto the large harbourwhich becamemore
and more deserted. The entrance to the former was near the western
point of the Pharos Island (now Ras-el-Tin), on which there was a temple
to Poseidon.
In the Eunostos there was a small artificial harbour, enclosed on
all sides, called Kibotos (the box or coffer). At one time a navigable
canal connected it with Lake Mareotis.
The following were some of the main features of the town :-
The Canal, which supplied Alexandria with fresh water and constituted the
commercialhighway with the interior of the country had its head on the Canopicbranch
of the Nile at Schedia, about 7 miles from Alexandria, and must have followed very
closely the directionof the present MahmudiaCanal.
Necropolis. The shape of the site on which Alexandriawas built was such that it
is almost certain that the cemeteriesmust inevitably have been to the east and west of
the town.
Nikopolis. It was only at the close of the Ptolemaicepochthat the centreknownas
Nikopolis grew up on the seashore, about 30 stadia (approximately 4 miles) distant
237
ALEXANDRIA

from Alexandria. In Strata's time it became almost as important as a town. Nikopolis

must have been situated on the site of the present Bulkeley and spreadover the hillocks
on the seashore between Mustafa Pasha and Glymenopouls. The Roman Legion in
Alexandriawas housed near the sea at Mustafa Pasha, on the spot where the barracks
of the British Army exist to-day.
Somewhat further inland there existed the important suburb, which, according
to Strabo, drew its name from the Hippodrome.
To the west of the district called Camp Caesar, between the tram-line and tho
bathing establishment at Chatbey, there lies the most ancient and extensive Greek
necropolis in Alexandria.
At the west end of the esplanadeat Chatbey,an extraordinarynumberof shafts of
red granitecolumnswerediscovered. Theseprobablymarkthe site of the royal residence.
The outline of Cape Lochias has changed a great deal since olden days. One might
even say that the Cape has disappeared under the waves to such an extent that
the entry into the harbour,which was formerly very narrow, has now become so very
wide as to oblige the modern town to undertake the construction of a breakwaterto
protect its quays.
The Theatre, accordingto Strabo, was almost opposite the island of Antirhodes
It is fairly certain that it was on, or ratherbelow the small hill at presentoccupiedby the
native hospital.
The Posidium. " Next to the theatre comes the Posidium, a promontoryjutting
out into the sea at the spot called Emporium,and which has a temple to Poseidon."
(Strabo). This was probablyused at a later date as a Tribunal. It was probablysituated
to the north-eastof the MaisonAntoniadis.
The Temple of Neptune. To the east of the Poseidon and between it and the
present British Consulatethere was a promontoryand the temple of Neptune.
Cleopatra's Palace or Baths. It is believed that near the temple of Neptune
there was a building known as Cleopatra'sPalace or Baths.
The Cesareum is one of the few buildingsof ancient Alexandriathat can be located
with certainty. Strabo places it first among the important buildings of the city and
Philo also describesit as showing magnificentlyfrom the port, while Pliny tells us that
two obelisks stood in front of the temple. It is, however, impossibleto determinewith
certainty the limits of the area of this celebratedtemple.
The Emporiumwas a commercialexchange and stood next to the Caesareumalong
the coast line.
The Apostases. Still further west was the Apostases. These were shops or
depots, and extended between the present MaisonAntoniadisand Kue Centrale.
The Palace of Hadrian. According to Neurotsos, the Palace of Hadrian was
calledthe Liciniumin the time of Epiphanes,and was near the Caesareum.
The Gymnasium. Strabo mentioned the Gymnasiumas the finest building in the
city. It was probably located in the eastern section of the Canopic Street.
The Tribunal. After the Gymnasium,Straboplaces the Tribunalnext in orderof
importance. He locates it in the centre of the town, and it is thought now that it was
situated near the present Zizinia Theatre.
The Paneum. Strabo then speaks of the Paneum, a small artificialmound in the
form of the top of a fir cone. A spiral stair led up to its summit, whencemight be seen
a panoramaof the whole town.
238
ALEXANDRIA

North op the Rue Rosette. There is no record of any building of importance

between the Rue Rosette and the Boulevard Sultan Hussein, but accordingto Didorus
this district must have contained some of the temples and magnificent houses which
borderedthis great longitudinalstreet. Portionsof columns,statues and bases have been
discoveredin this zone.
The quarterchiefly given up to Jewish residencewas near to the Regia, and conse-
quently should extend to the north of the Rosette Gate, in the vicinity of the present
MohammedAli Industrial School. The Jews kept up but slight connection with their
brethrenin Palestine. There were periods when they exceeded in wealth and influence
all the rest of the population.
The Temple op Nemesis should lie between the Jewish quarterand the European
cemeteries.
South op the Rue Rosette. Of the greater monuments whose sites are usually
fixed as south of the Boulevard de Rosette, the most important are the Soma, which
commemoratedthe great founder,the Mausoleaof the Ptolemaics and their queens, the
Museumand Library,and the Serapeum,whichin Roman times includeda library. The
sites can neitherbe fixed with any precision,nor does it appearlikely that any considerable
remains survive.
The Soma. Many believe that the mosque of Nebi Daniel marks the actual site
of the Soma.
Mausolea of the Ptolemaics stood in the same district as the Soma. In addition
to the collective tomb were numerousindividual ones.
The Serapeum. For the position of the Serapeumwe have only Strabo's state-
ment that it stood in the west part of the city, but within the line of the channelrunning
from Mareotisto the sea.

The Roman Period and the Christian Community

{First century B.C. to Fifth century a.d.)
When Alexandria came under the rule of Kome, great changes took
place. Commerce developed enormously and Octavian (Augustus)
founded a town near the modern Ramleh,*called Nicopolis or the " City
of Victory ". In the Christian period, Alexandria passed through
many vicissitudes, mainly of a religious character, and it is probable
that very few buildings were erected during the period.

The Arab Period

The Arab Town (Seventhto Sixteenthcenturies)
When the Arab general, Amr, captured Alexandria and marched
in triumph through the Canopic gate (Gate of the Sun) the city was in
an excellent state of preservation. Before him stretched the Canopic
way, lined with colonnades of marble ; on his left was the tomb of
239
ALEXANDRIA

Alexander, while to the right was the Pharos, and the message he sent
to the Caliph in Arabia was :- " I have taken a city, of which I can
only say that it contains 4,000 palaces, 4,000 baths, 400 theatres,
12,000 greengrocers,and 40,000 Jews." This message, even though it is
exaggerated, clearly indicates the size and importance of the city, even
at that time. Nevertheless, under the Arabs, the city went through
a long period of inactivity and deterioration. Its progresswas arrested
and it was more than 1,000 years before it regainedits position as a power
on the Mediterranean.
Neglected by man, the contour of the sea coast changed very
considerably. In the first place there was a fundamentalchange in the
twelfth century, when the Canopicmouth of the Nile silted up, causing
the fresh water lake of Mariout, now no longer fed by the Nile floods,
to dry up and become unnavigable Alexandria, entirely cut off from
the river system of Egypt, could not flourish until this was restored,
for it has always been dependent upon the double advantage of both
river and sea, (See Fig. 3.)
Secondly, there was also a change in the outline of the city. The
dyke, Heptastadium, built by the Ptolemaics to connect the mainland
with the island of Pharos, fell into ruin and became a backbone along
which a broad spit of land formed and so turned Pharos from an island
into a peninsula- the present Kas-el-TiD. This tongue of land was
formed by the mud, detritus, and pebbles washed up by the waves and
supplemented later by artificial additions.
The Turkish Town (Sixteenthto Eighteenthcenturies)
Under Turkish rule the population continued to shrink, so that
eventually the narrow enclosure of the Arab walls became too large.
A new settlement sprang up on the neck of land that had formed between
the two harbours. It still exists and is known as the " Turkish Town ".
It was, however, little more than a strip of houses intermixed with small
mosques. Frederick Lewis Norden, Captain in the Danish Navy (1737),
in his book, " Travelin Egypt and Nubia," gave the followingdescription:
" The entranceto the new
port is protected by two castles, poorly erected
by the Turks and which have nothing more remarkable than their
situation. They are known as the Great and Little Pharillon. The
former was built on the island of Pharos, the latter was built on the site
of the Ptolemaic Library. Each of these two islands is joined to the
mainland by a causeway connecting with the island of Pharos. It
appeared to me to be 3,000 feet long and is made partly of brick and
partly of stone."
240
ALEXANDRIA

With reference to the Arab walls he came to the conclusion that

" this enclosure was not made until the
Saracens, having ruined
Alexandria, were to
obliged fortify themselves there in orderto retain the
advantage of the ports and that of all the ground of the ancient city,
they included only as much of it as was then necessary to them for their
defence and for the security of their commerce." He was of the opinion
that the Arabs pulled the ancient buildings down in order to re-use the
stone in the building of these walls.
" In the tour of the ancient city " (this refers to the Arab
" it making
is only proper to note what is contained within its enclosure.
City)
Here we find scarcely anything at present but ruins and rubbish, apart
from a few mosques, churches and gardens. . . . The vast extent of the
ancient city is contracted in the new, to a little neck of land between the
two ports. The most superb temples are replaced by plain mosques,
the most magnificentpalaces by houses of a bad structure,the royal palace
has become a prison for slaves." (See Frontispiece.)

Mohammed Alt (i 805-1 848)

Following the Napoleonic invasions, Alexandria grew in importance

under the rule of MohammedAli, the founder of the present reigning
house of Egypt. To him must be ascribed the modern Alexandria,
which, virtually, was his capital city. The city that we know to-day
has followed the lines that he laid down and it is interesting to compare
his dispositions with those of Alexander, over two thousandyears before.
It was only natural that the main problem should centre round the
question of transport by water. The English, by cutting the dykes
in 1801, during one of the Napoleonicinvasions, had refilledLake Mariout
so that it had suddenly regainedits ancient area. But it was too shallow
for navigation and full of salt water instead of the formerfresh. It also
gave no access to the system of the Nile, which was of prime importance.
In Alexander's time the nearest adjunct of the Nile was at Aboukir
(Canopicmouth) ; now it was as far away as Eosetta (ancient Bolbitic
mouth). ConsequentlyMohammedAli had to construct a canal 45 miles
long, called the Mahmoudieh. It was completed in 1820 and although
it was badly made and the sides were continually falling in, it led to the
immediate rise of Alexandria and the fall of Rosetta. Alexandria now
had water communicationwith Cairo,and to it was added communication
by rail. (See Fig. 5.)
241
ALEXANDRI A

Work on the harbour followed immediately. Mohammed Ali

developed the Western Harbour, which had been the less important in
classical times, the present docks and arsenals being built for him (1828-
1833) by the French engineer, De Cerisy.
To the same scheme belongs the impressiveRas-el-Tin Palace which,
standing on a rise above the harbour, dominated it, as the Ptolemaic
Palace had once dominated the Eastern harbour.
Meanwhile the town began to develop, but it was not along very
regal lines. Houses began to spring up and streets to sprawl over the
deserted area inside the Arab walls. Neither Mohammed Ali nor his
friends the Foreign Communitieshad any knowledge of town planning.
Their one achievement was a fine public square, the Place des Consuls,
now the Place MohammedAli. The English were grantedlandto the north
of the square, on part of which they built their church ; the French and
the Greeks land to the south, while areas were also acquired by other
communities. There was, however, no attempt to co-ordinate the
enterprises,nor did they fully utilize the existing features of the site, i.e.,
the sea, the lake, Pompey's Pillar, the forts of Kom el Dik and Cafarelli
and the Arab walls. The sea was ignoredexcept for commercialpurposes,
the main thoroughfareskept away from its shores, and even the fine curve
of the New Quays was bare of buildings. The lake was ignored even
more completely ; the lake, which might have so beautified the southern
districts.
Pompey's Pillar, instead of being the centre of convergingroads, was
left where it would least be seen. Similarly with the two forts, huddled
behind rows of houses.
The Arab walls have now finally disappeared, although remnants
survive in the eastern stretch, where they have been well utilized in the
Public Gardens.
As Alexandria grew in size and wealth there came the need for
expansion in the suburbs. The sea to the north and the lake to the
south formed natural obstacles, so that the only possible direction for
expansion lay east and west along the shores of the lake and sea. It
must be rememberedthat at this time the people knew nothing about
town planning. The result was an agriculturalor garden zone develop-
ment. No regular plan existed. Houses sprang up in all directions
without proper alignment and usually the only access was by narrow
mean streets, unlevelled, unpaved and without footpaths. This was all
that the uncontrolled cupidity of the original owners of the land had
allowed for streets. Imagine, a new quarterfor the town with no squares
and no open spaces, just small, mean, unlevelled, tortuous streets with
242
A L EXANDRIA

inadequate allowance for communication or aeration. Such conditions

would have been bad enough in a small village- they were intolerablein a
large town like Alexandria.
The earliest developmentwas along the line of the MahmoudiehCanal
where the Villa Antoniadis and a few other fine houses have been built.
With the improvement of communication,the rich merchants were able
to live further afield. Two alternatives were open to them- Mex or
Eamleh- and rather regrettably they chose the latter. Mex with its
fine natural features, might have developed into a very beautiful suburb.
As it is, a belt of slums now separates it from the town.
The town expanded to the east to Ramleh, served at first by a
railway and now by a very good electric tram service.
These are the main features of Alexandria, as it evolved under
MahommedAli and his successors. It may not have comparedfavourably
with the city of Alexander the Great, but on the other hand, it was no
worse than most nineteenth century cities.

The Modern City

The modern city extends approximately over the area occupied by

the Ptolemaic City (see Fig. 10). The main features include the
following :-
The Square (Place Mohammed Ali). Laid out by Mohammed Ali
as the centre of his new city. It is near the eastern harbourand in
Ptolemaic times the ground here was under the sea. It is over 100 yards
broad by nearly 500 yards long and is well planted with trees but is
surrounded by rather unworthy buildings.
In the centre there is a statue of MohammedAli (1872), while to the
left is a pleasant strip of French gardens stretchingat right angles from
the Square to the new quays.
The Bourse,which contains the CottonExchange and Stock Exchange
stands at the end of the Square. (See Fig. 7.)
Rue Cherif Pasha. This is an attractive little street leading out
of the square to the left of the Bourse. It is the best shopping street
in the city, and is lined with shops, departmental stores and banks.
It might be termed the Fifth Avenue and Wall Street of Alexandria.
Towardsthe end on the left hand side is the Banco di Roma, perhapsthe
finest building in the city, a modifiedcopy of the Palazzo Farnese, Rome.
Unfortunately there is no climax to the street, it just leads into the
Rue Rosette.
243
ALEXANDRIA

Rue Rosette. This street, despite its modern appearance,is the most
ancient in the city for it follows the line of the Canopicway, the central
artery of Alexander'stown. It is a long street and is known as Ramleh
or Aboukir Street, after passing the ancient Arab gate. Throughoutits
length as far as the Arab Gate it is a fine shopping centre but there are
also many municipal buildings including the Municipal Library, the
Greco-RomanMuseum and a Court of Justice. Nearly all the Foreign
Consulates and also the best hotels are situated in this stretch. At the
far end there are public gardens on both sides, which follow the Arab
walls. At one end is Cairo Station Street, which leads to the main
Railway Station.
A hundredyards down, Rue Rosette is crossedby Nebi Daniel Street.
In ancient times this was the main crossing of the city. The Mosqueof
the Prophet Daniel is a few yards to the right of Rue Rosette. It stands
on the site of Alexander'sTomb, " the Soma." as mentioned before.
The continuation of Rue Rosette is known as Aboukir Road.
This extension is straight and is a fine well-planted road. Ramleh, a
residentialdistrict, lies to the north, while to the south, between Aboukir
Road and the MahmoudiehCanalis Lake Hadara, now being drainedto
form public parks and an agriculturalbelt.
A large cemetery lies to the east of the public gardens at the end of
Rue Rosette, between Rue Rosette and Rue Alexander, both of which
run parallel to the sea coast. South of the Rue Rosette and west of the
El Farkha Canal is the MoharramBey Quarter which is a high-class
residential zone although rather overcrowded. It is planned on the
gridironsystem with rather narrowstreets runningeast and west. There
is a wide street, MoharramBey Street, which runs diagonally from the
Place in front of the station in the north-west to the Place in front of the
Mosquein the south-east. This zone is too densely developed.
In the west towards MoharramBey is Karmuz, a residential area
for poor class people, planned on the gridironsystem and consequentlyis
monotonous. The MohammedanCemeteryis situated here, with Pompey's
Pillar to the south, no advantage having been taken of the siting of this
fine column.
The Rue de VAndenne Bourse, a narrow street leading from the
north-east cornerof the Square to the quay, is lined with officebuildings.
This street leads into the Boulevard Ramleh.
The Boulevard Ramleh runs east and west, parallel to the coast
through Ramleh,a residentialzone and attractive seaside resort. The grid-
iron system has again,been adopted in the planningof Ramleh. Two main
boulevards- the Boulevard Ramleh and another between it and the sea
coast- are intersected at right angles by narrow streets running north
and south.
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 Phte 42

Fig. 6. ALEXANDRIA. Sketchof the proposedRas-el-Tin Canal.

Fig. 7. M.FXAKFR1A. Place MobamedAH.

 Plate 43

Fig. 8. ALEXANDRIA. Plan shozcing a unit of ioo houses zvhich the Municipalitx is erecting
for the poorer people.

Fig. (). JLEXAMMU. The slums.

 Plate 44

Fig. i~. AJ.EXAM)RIA. As existing znii? sonic of ibc more imported utin.nt ::,)f.is sup, ; imp^rj.
ALEXANDRIA

This zone is of a low density, the houses being mostly detached.

It extends south as far as the railway.
The Rue de Franceleads out of the Squarefrom the north-westcorner
and traverses the " Turkish Town " which was built in the seventeenth
and eighteenth centuries. Its bazaars and mosques are on a small scale
for they were laid out when the city was at its weakest. Nevertheless
the district is picturesque.
This street is crossed by many narrow roads joining the Eastern
Harbour with the Western Harbour. It then turns slightly to the west
in front of TumrayMosqueand takes the name Rue Ras-el-Tin. Ancient
remains remind us that the southern shore of the Island of Pharos once
began here.
To the right the Rue Sidi Abou el Abbas is a narrowerstreet leading
to the Square of the same name. It is the largest square in the Turkish
town, and accommodatesa large number of mosques.
Rue Ras-el-Tin (see Fig. 6), leads to the King's Palace (summer
residence)which was built by MohammedAli, to the right of which are
the barracks. There is a Place in front of it, but this has little
architectural merit.
The peninsula narrows and the road, passing the Yacht Club at the
left, terminates at the Military Hospital which is beautifully situated on
the rocky point of Ras-el-Tin. The Temple of Neptune once stood here.
A modern lighthouse stands in the hospital enclosure and marks the
entrance to the harbour. Across the water is the island of Marabout
and the headland of Agame, which form part of the same limestone
chain as Ras-el-Tin, the whole being connected by submarine reefs.

Present Town Planning and Building ^Regulations

There are as yet no building regulations in force in Egypt, except

in Alexandria, where provisionalregulationshave been in operation for
some years. These, however, are incomplete from a town-planningpoint
of view, in spite of the fact that in May, 1923, the Municipalityobtained
the approval of the Government to supplementthe current regulations
with certain Town Planning Clauses under the heading of " The New
Lay-Out." They read as follows :-
(1) New Lay-Out
(a) Certain quarters and streets of the Town can be reserved by the Municipality
exclusively as residential.
(b) At least one side of each block of land to be used for building shall front on to a public
street.
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ALEXANDRIA

(c) All buildingland of which the area, shape or position of the site makes it impossible
to apply paragraph(b) in regardto existing public streets shall be consideredas a
new lay-out.
(d) In all new lay-outs for building purposes the proprietorsmust reserve for streets
which will become public an area equal to one-third of the total area of the land
to be laid out. In the case of existing streets borderingthe land to be laid out,
half the width of these streets shall be included in the calculationof the required
area of one-third of the total.
(e) All lay-out plans or planning schemesmust be based on the alignmentsshown on the
general Plan of the city approved by the Municipalityon June 15th, 1921 (City
of Alexandria Town Planning Scheme)on which, however,the Municipalitymay
make modifications.
(/) All plans dealingwith the alignment,width, arrangementand levels of streets must be
approved by the Municipality.
(g) No constructioncan be commencedbeforethe approvalof the Municipalityhas been
obtained.
(2) Planning of Streets
(a) In determiningthe directionsof new streets in land to be laid out, the alignmentsof
existing or projected streets, as well as those of artistic, historic or religious
monuments,shall be for preferencetaken as a basis.
(b) The alignmentsof the fagadesshall be, as far as possible,straight and parallel.

(3) Width of Streets, Carriageways and Footpaths

(a) The minimumwidth of a street which will become public shall be 8 metres.
(b) Streets of a greaterlength than 50 metres shall be at least 10 metres wide and if the
length is greaterthan 100 metres they shall be at least 12 metres wide.
(c) Streets which are prolongationsof existing or projectedstreets shall be the same width
as the latter.
(4) Angles to be Splayed or Rounded
If, at the junction of two streets the alignments of the facades form an angle less
than 60 degrees,the cornershall be cut off by a splay of not less than 4 metres in width
perpendicularto the line bisecting the angle. The splays prescribed above may be
replacedby roundedcornerswith the special authorisationof the Municipality.
It will be seen that the regulations in Alexandria now contain the
necessaryprovisionsfor giving effect to a successfultown planningscheme.
They include the proper laying out of undeveloped or unbuilt areas as
well as the improvement of built areas, the width and alignment of
streets and footpaths, the area of street surface in relation to the total
area of land ; and in the case of land belongingto the Governmentand the
Municipality, of which there is a large area, the bill of sale for building
purposes contains provisions limiting the height of the buildings and the
area of the plot which may be built upon.
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ALEXANDRIA

The regulationsalso contain provisions for zoning, and certain areas

majr be reserved for purely residential purposes, whilst industries which
are insalubriousare restricted to other areas. No control of the fa9ades
of buildingsis attempted, but good and suitable architectureis encouraged
by the Municipality,which gives prizes to the architects of the three best
buildings erected during the year, while the proprietorshave the taxes
on these buildings remitted for a year.
Clauses deal with Compensation and Betterment. The latter is
limited to 50 per cent., although in practice it is found that it ranges as a
rule from 10 per cent, to 20 per cent.

The Future City

The MunicipalCommissionof the City of Alexandria, at its meeting

on October 30th, 1918, decided upon the preparationof a town planning
scheme for the city with the idea of assuring its future development
to an approved programme. Dr. W. H. McLean, Ph.D., prepared a
preliminaryproject and this was presentedon October31st, 1919.
This preliminary plan indicates generally the proposals regarding
the principal avenues and streets, parks and public gardens, as well as
the areas suggested to be reserved for public requirements such as
cemeteries,public buildings and services, and for archaeologicalresearch.
The main point to be noted is that this scheme for Alexandria
provides a programmeby which the city may be improved and developed
on preconceivedand approvedlines and not allowed to grow in haphazard
fashion as heretofore.
The scheme shows the future city of Alexandria, which will extend
along the coast from Aboukir in the east to Agami in the west. It
covers an area rather more extensive than that which was occupiedby the
Ptolemaic city and its outlying suburbs.
The city is built on the sandy ridge along the sea coast between
the sea and the lake, and the proposedextensions have also been planned
along this ridge, for even when the lake is eventually lowered or pumped
dry, the land reclaimed will be more suitable for agricultural purposes
than for building.
It is interesting to note that the population of the Ptolemaic city
and that of the future city, as now planned, will very probably be about
the same, i.e., one million. The length of the future city, as planned, will
be about 22.5 miles, with a maximum width of about 3.12 miles and
minimum width of about 0.62 mile.
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ALEXANDRIA

The result of the Censusof 1917 showed a total population of 444,617,

of which 84,706 were non-Egyptians.
A great amount of work has already been done in opening up streets
and forming small gardens in the older and more congested parts of the
city. Owing to the recent great increase of motor traffic, many corners
are found to be dangerous, and these are being studied with a view to
improvement.
A Municipal Housing Scheme

A scheme for building small houses to accommodate the poorer

classes has been considered. These houses are required to replace the
slum areas (see Figs. 8 and 9), which are recognised to be centres of
infection. Distributed throughout the city and the suburbs there are
several colonies of poor people living in these slum dwellings, and it is the
aim of the Municipality that these shall be removed as early as possible
and that no others shall be allowed to grow up. Many of the colonies are
situated on private land, and it is difficult for the Municipality to deal
with these. It is thought, however,that a great step towards the solution
of the problem would be made by the erection of a model Municipal
Colony in the heart of the city on the site of one of the largest areas of
slum dwellings, which is at present being demolished. One considerable
difficulty is that the people living in the slums cannot, in most cases,
afford to pay an economic rent for properly built houses.
Fig. 8 shows a unit of a hundred houses which the Municipality is
erecting and these units may be multiplied as required. It will be
seen from the plan that each house consists of a room and a courtyard,
or practically two rooms.
Mahmoud Kiad.

248
*1-