Alexandria, April 2026 — Alexandria marked its founding with a major cultural celebration, “Alexandria: The Birth of a Cosmopolis,” bringing together archaeological, cultural and diplomatic institutions to celebrate the city’s history and its enduring identity as a meeting point of civilizations.

Held on April 24 under the patronage of the Alexandria Governorate, the Bibliotheca Alexandrina and the Embassy of Greece in Cairo, the event commemorated the founding of Alexandria by Alexander the Great in 331 BC and explored the multicultural character that would come to define the city throughout its history.

The celebrations began at the Greco-Roman Museum, where participants gathered before setting out on a symbolic procession through the historic city. The route passed the statue of Alexander the Great before concluding at the Bibliotheca Alexandrina — connecting landmarks of ancient and modern Alexandria in a celebration of the city’s continuing cultural legacy.

The official program continued at the Bibliotheca Alexandrina Conference Center, bringing together representatives from Alexandria’s cultural and archaeological community. Discussions and presentations reflected on the city’s foundation, its development as a cosmopolitan Mediterranean center and its historic role as a place of exchange between peoples, cultures and ideas.

The program also included a lecture exploring Alexander the Great and Alexandria, alongside a screening of The Alexandria Project’s proof-of-concept film, Alexandria: An Empire of Ideas, which examines the city’s extraordinary intellectual and cultural legacy.

The celebration was organized through a broad collaboration between Alexandria Governorate, the Bibliotheca Alexandrina, the Embassy of Greece in Cairo, the Archaeological Society of Alexandria, the Consulate General of Greece in Alexandria, the Hellenic Research Institute of the Alexandrian Civilization and the Greek Community of Alexandria.

For The Alexandria Project, it was a privilege to see Alexandria: An Empire of Ideas included within a wider celebration devoted to the city and the ideals that have defined it for more than two thousand years.

“The Birth of a Cosmopolis” offered a fitting reminder that Alexandria’s story is not only one of monuments and archaeology, but of people, knowledge and cultural exchange — a legacy that continues to shape the identity of the city today.

Source: Bibliotheca Alexandrina