The face of Alexander the Great in stone. Photographed in the Archaeological Museum, Istanbul.
Alexander the Great’s relationship with Alexandria is one of history’s most poetic stories. He stood on the Egyptian coast in 331 BC and sketched the vision for a global capital. He wouldn't live to see it rise from the ground, but he would eventually return to the heart of his namesake city—not as a conqueror, but as its most sacred resident.
The First Visit: A Vision of Empire
In 331 BC, the young Macedonian king arrived at a small fishing village between the Mediterranean and Lake Mareotis. Seeing its strategic potential, he founded Alexandria, envisioning it as a bridge between the Greek and Egyptian worlds. After a brief stay and a journey to the Oracle of Ammon, he marched east, never to see his city again while alive.
The Second Visit: The Stolen King
Following his mysterious death in Babylon in 323 BC, Alexander’s body became the ultimate political prize. While his funeral procession was bound for Macedonia, his general Ptolemy I hijacked the golden carriage and diverted it to Egypt to legitimize his own new dynasty.
Watch the video
Listen to the story from the place where it happened! Click the panel below to view “Alexandria, Egypt: Alexander Visited Twice.”