Identikit di Alessandria: il porto e il Delta

Alexandria ad Ægyptum – as the Romans used to say – was close enough to the Nile to benefit from the riches of Egypt, far enough to maintain its own identity. Alexandria is the only natural port along the shallow coast of the Delta, as well as a bridgehead of the ‘isthmian route’ to Suez. In the region of Alexandria the border between the Delta and the desert has changed over time. Lake Maryut marked part of this border: stretching parallel to the coast to the West, extending into the alluvial soil to the East. Based on research carried out since 1996, our contribution shall consider the metamorphoses of Alexandria as a port city in the 19th and 20th centuries in close connection with its hinterland under transformation: because of infrastructural projects (canals, railways, roads) but also because of reclamation project which completely reshaped the countryside.