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Alexandria

The City that Changed the World: 'Monumental' – Daily Telegraph

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Alexandria

By: Islam Issa
Narrated by: Islam Issa
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An original, authoritative and lively cultural history of the first modern city, from pre-Homeric times to the present day.

My dad had always told me about our city's magnificence, and as I looked at the new library in Alexandria it finally hit home. This is no ordinary library, I reflected. And this is no ordinary city.

Combining rigorous research with myth and folklore, Alexandria is an authoritative history of a city that has shaped our modern world. Soon after being founded by Alexander the Great, Alexandria became the crucible of cultural exchange between East and West for millennia and the undisputed global capital of knowledge. It was at the forefront of human progress, but it also witnessed brutal natural disasters, plagues, crusades and violence.

Major empires fought over Alexandria, from the Greeks and Romans to the Arabs, Ottomans, French and British. Key figures shaped the city from its eponymous founder to Aristotle, Cleopatra, Saint Mark the Evangelist, Napoleon Bonaparte and many others, each putting their own stamp on its identity and its fortunes. And millions of people have lived in this bustling seaport on the Mediterranean. From its humble origins to its dizzy heights and its latest incarnation, Islam Issa tells us the rich and gripping story of a city that changed the world.

(P)2023 Hodder & Stoughton Limited©2023 Islam Issa Limited Ancient Architecture Civilization Egypt Europe Greece Middle East World Africa Middle Ages Crusade Imperialism Ottoman Empire Ancient History Ancient Greece Greek Mythology Mythology
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Critic reviews

'In Islam Issa's monumental and vividly imagined new tale of the city, Alexandria comes to life . . . Issa's Alexandria arrives at 2011's Arab Spring having covered more than two millennia in just over 400 pages - no mean feat. But his real success is the book's sense of personality. It ends with Issa walking through the modern city that now stands on the ancient site, passing its markets and Art Deco cinemas. He writes about the present as vividly as the storied past. This book is a fitting tribute to a city that has survived, changed and grown for so many centuries (Francesca Peacock)
Founded by Alexander the Great on the Mediterranean coast, the city that bears his name evolved into one of the most dazzling metropolises in history. An intoxicating blend of Greek and Egyptian culture, Alexandria was a hub of philosophy, science, maths and history, as well as a city of pleasure, politics and astonishing violence. This is a wonderfully entertaining account of its history, written with vim and vigour (Dominic Sandbrook, Books of the Year)
Issa, an Alexandrian himself, is an assured narrator with an easy, undemonstrative manner, who unearths myths and stories that give vivid life to his more sober account of Alexandria's travails and triumphs. (Michael Prodger)
Lively and engrossing . . . Issa combines love for the city with nostalgia for its vanished past . . . Issa has brilliantly illuminated the history of a great city (David Abulafia)
I was charmed by Islam Issa's Alexandria: The city That Changed the World, which recovers elegantly and poignantly the long history of rich interactions among the many communities of the city (Books of the Year)
Islam Issa's Alexandria is a fabulous book, in every sense of that word. It is a history of the city, of its multitudinous people, of its heroes and villains, of its Library and its Pharos, down through the ages to his own family and his life growing up there. It is a cornucopia of fascinating details, every page revealing a new delight. A work of brilliant and informed scholarship, as well as being a labour of love. It is as if Islam Issa was born to write this book. (Paul Strathern, author of The Medici)
Issa does a fantastic job of explaining the history, taking the time to share the stories, both mythical and factual, that have made Alexandria the city it is today . . . Whatever the future does bring, it will be hard to tell its story in a more informed and affectionate way than Issa has. His history is a tribute to Alexandria, a reservoir of knowledge on the city, and sets a marker for those wishing to tell the stories of the world's great cities.
All stars
Most relevant
The history of Europe, the Levant and the Middle East told through the lens of a single fascinating city. Read by the author which is always nice but he’s so slow I had to turn the speed up and some of the pronunciation was distractingly eccentric

History in miniature

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I was utterly swept away by Alexandria—a book that does not just recount history but breathes life into it. Islam Issa’s prose is intoxicating, pulling me into the city’s golden age, through the reigns of Ptolemy, the Ottomans, and the Mamluks, and straight into the brilliance of Hypatia—who has now earned a place above my writing desk, immortalised in a Renaissance fresco. This book made me ache to be there, to walk its streets, to hear the philosophers argue. A stunning, vibrant read that I will never forget.

Verdict: Unmissable.

What a read/ride

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This is a monumental book that covers histories of inventions, wars. religions and personal stories from Islam Issa making this history of Alexandria authentic and compelling. Read by the author with passion, which is extra special! 5 stars!!

Incredible book

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It’s a city that often crops up in ancient history but is rarely expanded on. This book corrects that in an interesting and accessible way. So much that I’d like to go to Alexandria!

Very interesting

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Brilliant broad sweep without losing the details of a truly human history. An amazing city with a unique past.

Brilliant

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