Cosmopolitan Alexandria endangered

Al Masry Al Youm (Fatma Keshk)

“The city of Alexander,” “The second Egyptian capital,” “The cosmopolitan city,” “The bride of the Mediterranean;” so many are the names given to Alexandria. In the old quarters of the city, first built in the Ptolemaic period (4th century BC), the streets still preserve their original design. However, the more modern parts of Alexandria have been suffering significantly, particularly over the past year and a half; their architecture has been changing, possibly fading with the demolition of a number of buildings built around the turn of the 20th century in favor of lucrative real estate projects. The list of endangered buildings is long, but the most recent addition is the famous Cicurel villa in Roushdi neighborhood, further changing the social formation of the city that began in the fifties with the immigration of many expats out of Egypt after the July revolution.