Alexandria
port city on the Mediterranean coast of Egypt
Alexandria is a major city in Egypt. Lying at the western edge of the Nile River Delta, it extends about 40 km (25 mi) along the country's northern coast. It is Egypt's principal seaport, the second largest city after Cairo, and the largest city on the Mediterranean coast. Founded in 331 BC by Alexander the Great, Alexandria was one of the largest and most important cities of antiquity and a leading hub for science, culture, and scholarship.
Nicknamed the "Bride of the Mediterranean" and "Pearl of the Mediterranean Coast", the city is a popular tourist destination and a major industrial centre. It is the sixth-largest city in the Arab world, seventh-largest city in the Middle East, and the eleventh-largest city in Africa. The capital of the Alexandria Governorate, Alexandria is considered an industrial hub and is home to the Alexandria Shipyard. The city also has a large financial sector, and its ancient port Alexandria is one of the busiest ports in the country. Alexandria is the host city of the annual Alexandria Mediterranean Film Festival, held at the Bibliotheca Alexandrina. The city is also the home of the Alexandria Opera House, the Alexandria Museum of Fine Arts and the Alexandria National Museum.
“Alexandria” enters the record as port city on the Mediterranean coast of Egypt. Crown Archives preserves that source wording while asking what Alexandria, port and city can confirm, complicate or overturn.
Why this record matters
“Alexandria” is worth following because a concise public description often conceals a longer documentary argument. Here, Alexandria, port and city provides the most credible route into that argument.
Place names and jurisdictional language are key evidence: both can reveal earlier catalogue descriptions and overlooked record series. The source revision retrieved here is dated Sep 20, 2026. The linked authority identifier is Q87. VIAF identifies the subject as 129002681. The Library of Congress control number is n80067694. Authority coordinates are 31.198, 29.892. 5 of 5 selected statements include explicit references; 1 carry qualifiers and 0 use preferred rank.
A single description cannot reconcile every naming convention, rebuilding phase or administrative transfer associated with a place. The lead is largely declarative, so disagreement and counter-evidence require a deliberate search beyond the opening account. Authority statements aid reconciliation but still require their own references, qualifiers and ranks to be checked.
How to read it
Treat names, boundaries and functions as historically changeable. Maps, plans, inventories and administrative records can clarify what the place meant at different dates.
- Historic place names
- Jurisdictional context
- Routes into maps and plans
Contemporary maps, plans, listed-building records, estate papers and the responsible local or national archive.
Three-step research path
- Establish the record: confirm the title “Alexandria”, its source revision and the description used here.
- Expand the search: follow Alexandria primary sources, Alexandria archive and Alexandria research across catalogues and specialist indexes.
- Test the account: compare the strongest cited source with the responsible institution’s current record and note any disagreement.
Questions for further research
- Which source most directly establishes the central claim about “Alexandria”?
- Which earlier names or jurisdictions may reveal additional records?
- What physical evidence or contemporary plan supports the description?
Search terms from this dossier
This entry incorporates text from “Alexandria” on English Wikipedia. Contributors are listed in the page history. Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 License. Selected authority identifiers and statements are retrieved from Wikidata under CC0; their references and qualifiers remain part of the verification path.