Thesaurus

The city is located on a narrow strip of land between the Mediterranean Sea and Lake Mariut; it is now partially submerged. It was the center of Hellenic scholarship and science in antiquity. It was built by the Greek architect Dinocrates for Alexander the Great. It was the renowned capital of the Ptolemies when they ruled Egypt. It was noted for its library and a great lighthouse on the island of Pharos. It was captured by Caesar in 48 BCE, taken by Arabs in 640 and by Turks in 1517. The city was famed for being the site of convergence of Greek, Arab and Jewish ideas. It was occupied by the French 1798-1801, by the British in 1892; evacuated by the British in 1946.