History Alexandria

Alexandria was founded by Alexander the Great in 332 BC. It served as the capital of his new Egyptian dominion and as a base that would control the Mediterranean. After Alexander left Egypt the town, Cleomenes, continued the creation of Alexandria. With the breakup of the empire and death of Alexander in 323, the control of the town passed to his viceroy, Ptolemy I Soter, who founded the dynasty. However the early Ptolemies successfully blended the religions of ancient Greece and Egypt in the cult of Sarapis and presided over Alexandria's golden age. The current city is Egypt's leading port, a commercial and transportation center, and the heart of a major industrial area where refined petroleum, paper, processed food, cotton, asphalt, textiles, plastics and styrofoam are produced.