- The Muslims arrived at Alexandria in July 641 It was perhaps the most magnificent and biggest city they’ve encountered so far
- Alexandria was founded by the Greek general Alexander the Great and is named after him In Arabic it is called Al-Iskandariyah
- Alexander meant for it to be a great center of Hellenistic culture
- However Alexander left the city under the command of one of his generals soon after founding it.
- Then he went back on the warpath and never came back
- At one point, it was the second most important city in the world after Rome; if Rome was like NYC then Alexandria was like London
- Alexandria linked the Greek and Roman parts of Europe with and Arabia and Asia