Alexandria, populated by more than 4 million people, was founded in 331 B.C. by Alexander the Great. It was the capital of Hellenistic, Roman and Byzantine Egypt for almost 1,000 years. Rich in history, its urban heritage reflects today an Italian style from the late 19th and early 20th centuries, times that welcomed Greeks and other Europeans as well as novelists and poets who took interest in the city.

Today, its buildings are threatened by developers and a savage modernization. Activist groups, such as Save Alexandria and Gudran, try to protect their heritage through awareness campaigns, cultural initiatives and legal analysis.

Conserving Alexandria’s heritage emerged as an important issue between 1997 and 2006, according to journalist Mohamed Farag, who works at Akhbar al-Adab and is a native of the Mediterranean city. “The governor at the time [1997-2006], Mohamed Abdel Salam Mahgoub, gave carte blanche to the contractors to build houses in Alexandria. These started destroying the old two-floor buildings to replace them with big ones, which led to uneasiness from some social activists, such as NGO [nongovernmental organization] Gudran,” Farag told Al-Monitor.

“For instance, el-Mandara area was very popular and full of villas when I was young. Today, they are almost all destroyed. The governor rented the Corniche piece by piece. Changes even ended up affecting the classical areas, such as the old Greek Club in Ibrahimeya that was destroyed in 2012 or the famous San Stefano hotel that became a mall,” he said, pointing out that the fast multiplication of buildings is “more expensive and is leading to a gentrification of the city.”