Ariel View of Modern Alexandria: The Ancient Harbour and the locationof the Ancient "PHAROS"
ALEXANDRIA
A city and an ideology founded by the Hellenic hero Alexander the Great himself in 331BC. Located on the coast of the Mediterranean, Ancient Alexandria is frequently described among historians as “the melting pot of the Mediterranean” and referred to by Ad Agyptum (near Egypt) expressing the wider cultural, religious and ethnic diversity that the old city has embraced[1]. It has also been famous for its legendary Pharos (lighthouse) and library[2] that hosted most of the influential intellects that shaped the modern western mind; writers and philosophers like, Athanathius, Hypatia, Cyril and Philo[3]. All this have served the belief that ancient Alexandria was the “creation kernel of the Hellenic civilization”.[4]
The Acropolis – Serapeum
On top of a rocky plateau, stands the high column known as “Pompey’s” pillar (accurately, Diocletian’s) marking the upper part of the great Serapeum temple[5]. The Serapeum, the Acropolis of Alexandria, is evidently considered the most important civil edifice in ancient Alexandria. The complex resembles both the physical splendor of the ancient city’s imagery, as well as its very sentiment spirit embodied in combining the Egyptian deities along with the Greek[6] as intended by the founder Ptolemy III (Euergetes I/246-221BC)[7]. Serapis himself, the principal deity of the complex stands as a unique model for inter-cultural and religious exchange in the world of antiquity[8]. The Serapeum has witnessed major religious and physical changes in its times yet it managed to adapt and remained a focal point for the population and its rulers from Egyptian to Greek then Roman to Christian[9]. It was also the house of the Daughter library of Alexandria[10].
The Roman Catacombs – Kom El-Shuqafa
Located to the south-west of the Serapeum, and dating back to the 2nd cent. AD (Roman Egypt), Kom El-Shuqafa catacombs – tombs – were discovered by accident in 1900AD[11]. They strongly reveal a level of integration that only occurred in Alexandria, where the Pantheons, artistic styles and architecture of prominent Egyptian, Greek and Roman communities were melted and merged[12]. They contain a one-of-a kind iconographic decorations that represent life, death, resurrection and deities from the Egyptian and Greco-Roman mythologies all combined together in a harmonious composition[13].
[1] Awad M. F., Italy in Alexandria. Influences on the Built Environment, Alexandria, 2008, p.9.
[2] Two libraries; the Mother library which in Ptolemaic era used to occupy the same place of the modern Bibliothequa Alexandrina followed by the Roman Daughter library that was hosted in the Serapeum.
[3] Haas Chr., Alexandria in Late Antiquity. Topography and Social Conflict, Baltimore, London, 1997, p.2.
[4] See: [http://ngm.nationalgeographic.com/2011/07/cleopatra/alexandria-map]-23/1/2015.
[5] Rowe A., Rees B. R., “The Great Serapeum of Alexandria”, in: A Contribution to the Archaeology of the Western Desert VI, in BRL XXIX, 1957, p.486.
[6] Awad M. F., Italy in Alexandria. Influences on the Built Environment, Alexandria, 2008, p.23.
[7] See: Mckenzie J., The Architecture of Alexandria and Egypt c. 3ooBC to AD 700, Hong Kong, 2007, p.52.
[8] Further details, see: Allott M. (ed.), Forster E. M., Alexandria: A History and a Guide and PHAROS AND PHARILLON, London, 2004, p.27-28.
[9] See: footnote no.5.
[10] See: footnote no.2.
[11] Allott M. (ed.), Forster E. M., Alexandria: A History and a Guide and PHAROS AND PHARILLON, London, 2004, p.124.
[12] Awad M. F., Italy in Alexandria. Influences on the Built Environment, Alexandria, 2008, p.36.
[13] Id.
Archaeological Map for the Acropolis: The Pompey Pillar, The Catacombs and the Roman Racing Track, Description de l'Egypte.
Location of the Ancient Acropolis within the contemporary Urban Context
VISION
Acropolis of Alexandria; A global cultural and intellectual node that resembles the real essence of the ancient Cosmo-polis of Alexandria, and one of the world’s top cultural tourism destinations.
To treat the property as a museum (“Αλεξάνδρεια Μουσείο” - Alexándreia Mouseío) that celebrates Alexandrian History and promotes the Outstanding Universal Values of Alexandria Acropolis;
A Global Cultural and Intellectual Node . . .
To build up cross-cultural interactions and activities inspired by the long history of the property, this reflects such values and influences on a global scale, Also taking into account the history of Alexandria and the Hellenic civilization as the wider intellectual context of the property that promotes its Outstanding Universal Values.
A World Tourism Destination . . .
To benefit from the archaeological attributes, cultural potentials and historical significance that could qualify the property for a well-deserved standing among the world’s top cultural tourism destinations.
Social Development . . .
Community partnership in the management process; decision-making, execution and outcomes in turn contributes to the socio-economic and cultural revitalizations for the property’s population as well as to the city of Alexandria as a whole.
Pomey Pillar: the archaeological remains of the SERAPEUM Complex . . .
Roman Catacombs: Cheif Burial Chamber . . .
"El-Nassereyah" Street . . .
A museum for this ancient city's Acropolis is like "concluding the conclusion"; as the site represents the moral, religios, cultural and even scientific core of the city. hence, to build a museum for this core, it is ,in turn, a necessity to reflect it on the design concept.
ALEXANDRIA . . . AN OCCURENCE OF HUMANISM
A Painting (by the designer) inspired by the civilization of Alexandria, stressing the key-role of the city along its historyas a mediterranean melting pot (rich with coexisting contradictions) for culture and religion for the globe celebrating a multiplicity of languages, ethnicities and civilizations.
Ariel View: New Museum Complex . . .
The Museum is designed to function as the START-END point for the Site visitors, it contains:
o Visitor Center.
o Museum Collection: Findings from the property kept in the Alexandria Greco-Roman Museum, Alexandria National Museum and the Egyptian Museum in Cairo.
o Conservation Laboratory.
o Research Center: Hellenic and Cross-cultural studies.
o Cultural Center.
South-West (Water front) Elevation . . .
South (Main Enterance) Elevation . . .
Longitudinal Section (A - A): Main Exhibition Space . . .
Museum Access from "El-Nasseryah" street . . .
Museum Access from "El-Mahmoudeyah" Road . . .
Access to Museum Administration and Services . . .
"The Garden of Gods": dedicated to the ancient deities of Alexandria and the Hellenic World . . .
"The Garden of Gods" . . .
The "Plaza of Ptolemies": Ptolemy I statue and the Lake of History . . .
