We started from Saad Zaghloul statue, walked through Al Nabi Danial Street then to Cavafy House/Museum (Cavafy is the poet of the city, lived in the mid of the 20th century, he is of greek origin).

Then we walked through some streets passing by Mohamed ALI/Sayed Darwish theatre.

Then we walked through "Crete street" which used to be popular with mezze-sellers (clams, ritsa, khetenya, etc.) we entered through "Sha’ban Seafood Restaurant" to start our walk in the french market "el-souq el-faransawy" covered by wood and metal that resemble an inverted Noah's Arc (like in some churches in Coptic Cairo).

Established around 1875, this Souq transcended its function as a place for buying and selling, and acquired a true sense of community where merchants from different nationalities (Egyptian, Greek, Maltese, etc.) used to have a collective breakfast daily before work starts. Some accounts speak of how this Souq used to smell of perfume, since it was popular with foreign female buyers all the time! , that was in the 30s of the 20th century. That time, the population of Alexandria was 600,000 & about 240,000 of them were non-Egyptians.

Then to "Midan Al Mansheya" (Al Mansheya square). Mansheya is site for Saray Al Haqqaniya (1886, previously Al Mahakem Al Mokhtalata/the mixed courts), the Unknown Soldier Memorial, the Old Borset Al Qotn (the cotton stock exchange), and Mohamed Ali Statue, placed there after much debate, thanks to Al Imam M. Abdu.

Then we visited terbana mosque (no photos for it in this article), founded in 1677 by Haj Ibrahim ibn Ebeid Al Maghrabi, a Moroccanmerchant who came from Mesrata. Its hanging minaret (supported by 2 columns) and its red and black (manjur) façade make it unique.

Then we visited another Ottoman Mosque "Al Shorbagi mosque", founded by Abdel Qadir Al Shorbagi around 1757, it has no minaret and had an arcade that oversees the market beneath. It has amazing tiles in every hue of blue and green. The nearby wikala of Al Shorbagy has beautiful windows and is still functioning as a commercial eclosure.

Then we passed through "el-anfoushy" while heading to The Fort of Qaitbay.

The Fort of Qaitbay was built in 1480 to defend Alex against the Ottomans. The German-Mamluk architect who supervised the building used debris from the legendary Pharos Lighthouse which one stood here.

The Pharos was built in 279 BC by Sostratus the Greek during the reign of Ptolemy II, serving both as a beacon and as a symbol of the city’s wealth and its role as the world’s most learned city at the time. It was around 125 to 150 meters high with a cubical base, octagonal trunk and cylindrical finial (maybe it was the inspiration for Mamluk minarets?). The Pharos was so famous that it was depicted in St. Mark Basilica in Italy, Roman Mosaics in Libya and vases excavated in Afghanistan! The lantern fell in 700 AD and a massive earthquake in 1303 AD brought the legacy to an end.

The photo of Faros is from a model built in a tourisitc village in sidi-krair (about 33kms to the west of Alex.), the photo is not from this trip.