History of Alexandria and the Dream of Alexander the Great

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According to Plutarch , Alexander the Great was haunted with a dream to found Alexandria in an island in the turbulent sea , in front of Egypt . Even before going to Egypt , he dreamt of a big , rich and prosperous city .
In 332 , Alexander defeated the Persians who were occupying Egypt at that time . In the wake of this victory , he was welcomed by the priest who declared him the Son of Amoun , and he was blessed in Luxor , Siwa and Memphis . In the following year , Alexander founded the city that would take his name . The city was founded on the Nile Delta , on a village called Rakotis inhabited by a handful of fishermen , in front of an island called Pharos , which was connected to the mainland by a long dike . Choosing a perfect site , the city was protected from the revolts that could potentially arise from the Nile Valley . Additionally , the area was close enough to the course of the Nile as to insure a constant source of water to the city .
The architect who made planed for the work was called Dinocratis of Rhodes . The construction of the dam formed two ports on both sides: the Great Harbor (to the east) and a trade port , still in use to our time .
The ports received bronze ingots from Spain; bars of tin from Britain; cotton from India; silk from China as well as other goods from all the countries of the Old World . The famous lighthouse was built at 280 BC on the island of Pharos by Sostral of Cnido .
Dinocratis made the plan of the city in the form of a large square , with parallel and perpendicular streets of more than 30 m wide , always crossing at right angles . Neighborhoods were built and administratively divided into five districts , each of which were named after one of the first five letters of the Greek alphabet . When Alexander left Egypt to continue his war against the Persians , he appointed Cleomenes Naucratis manager of Alexandria .
Witnessing a great prosperity , the welfare of Alexandria accumulated . The Ptolemies built a marble palace with a large garden , fountains and statues . On the other side of the garden stands a museum , which comprises a large library . Around this building stood the Temple of Serapis , the new Greek-Egyptian god . At the city center lies the Assembly , squares , markets , churches , bathrooms , gymnasiums , stadiums and other public buildings .
The inhabitants of this magnificent city were mostly Greeks . Also dwelt in the spot were a Jewish colony and neighborhood Egyptian fishermen .
Soon , Alexandria became the center of the Greek culture in the Hellenistic Era .