"Issa combines love for the city with nostalgia for its vanished past - for a place where for over two thousand years different communities coexisted. He describes them, their achievements and their woes with admirable balance. Issa has brilliantly illuminated the history of a great city."
"Issa takes the reader on a mesmerising journey. He does a fantastic job of explaining the history, taking the time to share the stories, both mythical and factual, that have made Alexandria the city it is today. His history is a tribute to Alexandria, a reservoir of knowledge on the city, and sets a marker for those wishing to tell the stories of the world’s great cities. "
"This lively cultural history of the place that is often described as the world’s first modern city is full of fascinating facts and amazing stories. Issa chronicles the splendours and events of its past quite wonderfully, offering us a work that is both scholarly and entertaining."
"Brimming with the sights and sounds of the streets of Alexandria, this is at once a moving family memoir, an exciting travel book, and a grand sweep history of one of the most thrilling cities on earth. A real journey, and yet a voyage of the mind to the Capital of Memory."
"A masterpiece worthy of the Great Library itself!"
"Issa is a genius guardian of Alexandra."
"In Islam Issa's monumental and vividly imagined new tale of the city, Alexandria comes to life. This book is a fitting tribute to a city that has survived, changed and grown for so many centuries."
'In Islam Issa's monumental and vividly imagined new tale of the city, Alexandria comes to life . . . Issa's Alexandria arrives at 2011's Arab Spring having covered more than two millennia in just over 400 pages - no mean feat. But his real success is the book's sense of personality. It ends with Issa walking through the modern city that now stands on the ancient site, passing its markets and Art Deco cinemas. He writes about the present as vividly as the storied past. This book is a fitting tribute to a city that has survived, changed and grown for so many centuries—Francesca Peacock, Daily Telegraph
Founded by Alexander the Great on the Mediterranean coast, the city that bears his name evolved into one of the most dazzling metropolises in history. An intoxicating blend of Greek and Egyptian culture, Alexandria was a hub of philosophy, science, maths and history, as well as a city of pleasure, politics and astonishing violence. This is a wonderfully entertaining account of its history, written with vim and vigour—Dominic Sandbrook, Books of the Year, Sunday Times
Issa, an Alexandrian himself, is an assured narrator with an easy, undemonstrative manner, who unearths myths and stories that give vivid life to his more sober account of Alexandria's travails and triumphs.—Michael Prodger, New Statesman
Lively and engrossing . . . Issa combines love for the city with nostalgia for its vanished past . . . Issa has brilliantly illuminated the history of a great city—David Abulafia, Literary Review
I was charmed by Islam Issa's Alexandria: The city That Changed the World, which recovers elegantly and poignantly the long history of rich interactions among the many communities of the city—Books of the Year, Times Literary Supplement
Islam Issa's Alexandria is a fabulous book, in every sense of that word. It is a history of the city, of its multitudinous people, of its heroes and villains, of its Library and its Pharos, down through the ages to his own family and his life growing up there. It is a cornucopia of fascinating details, every page revealing a new delight. A work of brilliant and informed scholarship, as well as being a labour of love. It is as if Islam Issa was born to write this book.—Paul Strathern, author of The Medici
Issa does a fantastic job of explaining the history, taking the time to share the stories, both mythical and factual, that have made Alexandria the city it is today . . . Whatever the future does bring, it will be hard to tell its story in a more informed and affectionate way than Issa has. His history is a tribute to Alexandria, a reservoir of knowledge on the city, and sets a marker for those wishing to tell the stories of the world's great cities.—Al Jazeera
Had things gone differently for Antony and Cleopatra, then today we would be lauding the glories of Alexandria instead of Rome. But Islam Issa refuses to see Alexandria as an also-ran and does a fine job in this book of guiding us through Alexandria's long, colourful, rarely peaceful, past. By evoking the splendours of its palaces, temples, libraries, churches, museums, synagogues, mosques, bazaars, dance halls and cafes, the book provides a multifaceted history of an enthralling city.—Professor Lloyd Llewellyn-Jones, author of Persians: the Age of the Great Kings
Alexandria is the book on this amazing city that I've long been waiting for. It's wonderfully easy to read, solidly researched, and totally engaging—Philip Freeman, author of Hannibal: Rome's Greatest Enemy
Lively and well-researched—Raphael Cormack, Times Literary Supplement
A comprehensive history . . . [Issa] relates his native city's past principally through attention to its most famous figures and rulers . . . A well-researched, readable history of one of the world's oldest and most consequential cities—Kirkus
A fascinating and much-needed book about this singular city written with vibrancy and skill. Issa's personal knowledge and passion for Alexandria, past and present, shine through every sentence. —Violet Moller, author of The Map of Knowledge
Issa delivers a lively chronicle of one of the world's most cosmopolitan cities from its beginnings almost two and a half millennia ago to the present . . . Issa vividly recounts invasions by the Crusaders, Ottomans, French and British, and shows how in the modern era Alexandria continued in its role as a cultural hub and social and religious melting pot. This impressively researched account reveals a captivating city through the ages—Publishers Weekly
Crackling with good storytelling across more than two millennia, this is a love letter that makes us long for Alexandria—Paul Edmondson, author of Shakespeare: Ideas in Profile
Islam Issa's love for Alexandria is palpable on every page, and part of the book's charm is due to the personal stories he occasionally weaves into the city's long tale. This UK history professor's ambitious vision for the book matches that of Alexandria's eponymous founder, which was to "redefine the very idea of a city." He takes us on a breathtaking gallop through twenty-four centuries . . . he makes a good case for the argument that Alexandria has long been overlooked as a foundational city that affected human civilization deeply and widely, and he offers an abundance of examples as to how, from philosophy and religion through scientific and mathematical breakthroughs.—Jehanne Moharram, World Literature Today
Issa's biography of the city is comprehensive yet accessible bringing two and a half millennia of history vibrantly to life—Shafik Meghji, Geographical
Eminently readable . . . Issa writes with enthusiasm and love bordering on passion for his subject—David Luhrssen, Shepherd Express
A masterpiece worthy of the Great Library itself!—Tristan Hughes, author of The Perdiccas Years
Brimming with the sights and sounds of the streets of Alexandria, this is at once a moving family memoir, an exciting travel book, and a grand sweep history of one of the most thrilling cities on earth. A real journey, and yet a voyage of the mind to the Capital of Memory—Michael Wood, author of In the Footsteps of Alexander the Great
Issa is a genius guardian of Alexandria—Women's Weekly
Islam Issa paints with bold, broad brushstrokes a picture of that famous Mediterranean cosmopolis, giving a stimulating long durée outline history of Alexandria and its inhabitants. His style is episodic, having a keen eye for crucial events and attention-grabbing anecdotes. Issa is an excellent storyteller. Through more than 2,000 years of Alexandrian narrative, he weaves little threads of his own Alexandrian experiences . . . Alexandria's subject matter is one of the great civilisational stories, and Issa tells it compellingly.—Catholic Herald
Issa tells a spellbinding narrative . . . few authors capture in their words the genuine love and appreciation they have for their subject matter, but Issa does so with remarkable clarity and depth. The city shines to life under Issa's pen, vividly evoking its prime—Athens Insider
The result of his experience is a powerful monograph on the city's cultural significance. It is firmly rooted in historical fact, and it is easy to pick up on Alexandria's personal importance to the author . . . Rather than repeating myths, Issa seeks to critically examine them in light of factual evidence, allowing both the real and imaginary Alexandria to exist side-by-side.—Arienne King, World History Encyclopedia
A lively chronicle of one of the world’s most cosmopolitan cities from its beginnings almost two and a half millennia ago to the present. Issa vividly recounts invasions by the Crusaders, Ottomans, French, and British, and shows how in the modern era Alexandria continued in its role as a cultural hub and social and religious melting pot. This impressively researched account reveals a captivating city through the ages.
"A fascinating and important book, telling the story of Alexandria from antiquity to modernity with great erudition worn lightly."
A comprehensive history of a city that has served as a ‘representative illustration of some of history’s most consequential empires.’ An Alexandrian by birth, Issa relates his native city’s past principally through attention to its most famous figures and rulers. A well-researched, readable history of one of the world’s oldest and most consequential cities.
Islam Issa’s history takes the city from Alexander’s transformation of an Egyptian fishing village around 331 BC through its multiple subsequent lives ... Issa, an Alexandrian himself, is an assured narrator with an easy manner, who unearths myths and stories that give vivid life to his more sober account of Alexandria’s travails and triumphs
"A fascinating and much-needed book about this singular city written with vibrancy and skill. Issa’s personal knowledge and passion for Alexandria, past and present, shine through every sentence."
"Islam Issa's Alexandria: The City that Changed the World is the book on this amazing city that I've long been waiting for. It's wonderfully easy to read, solidly researched, and totally engaging"
"Islam Issa’s Alexandria is a fabulous book, in every sense of that word. It is a history of the city, of its multitudinous people, of its heroes and villains, of its Library and its Pharos, down through the ages to his own family and his life growing up there. It is a cornucopia of fascinating details, every page revealing a new delight. A work of brilliant and informed scholarship, as well as being a labour of love. It is as if Islam Issa was born to write this book."
Had things gone differently for Antony and Cleopatra, then today we would be lauding the glories of Alexandria instead of Rome. But Islam Issa refuses to see Alexandria as an also-ran and does a fine job in this book of guiding us through Alexandria's long, colourful, rarely peaceful, past. By evoking the splendours of its palaces, temples, libraries, churches, museums, synagogues, mosques, bazaars, dance halls and cafes, the book provides a multifaceted history of an enthralling city.
2023-09-05
A comprehensive history of a city that has served as a “representative illustration of some of history’s most consequential empires.”
An Alexandrian by birth, Issa, a curator, broadcaster, and professor of literature and history, relates his native city’s past principally through attention to its most famous figures and rulers. Alexandria may carry the name of an extraordinary world-historical military genius, but many other celebrated figures—Homer’s Helen of Troy and Paris, Aristotle (Alexander’s teacher), Cleopatra and Antony, and the Ptolemy dynasty—have been associated with it over the centuries. Gamal Abdel-Nasser, Egypt’s founding strongman, was born there; writers C.P. Cavafy, Anatole France, and Lawrence Durrell evoked it in their work; and composers like Sayed Darwish, known as “the father of Egyptian music,” called it home. Alexandria’s famous library housed the world’s first great collection of knowledge, and its lighthouse was considered one of the Seven Wonders of the World. As a Mediterranean seaport on the western edge of the Nile Delta, Alexandria’s grain trade sustained other significant cities like Athens, Rome, and Carthage. As Issa emphasizes in his brisk tale, the city’s founders successfully “gambled on two outrageous hypotheses: that gathering a diverse set of people to live and work together would make the strategically located spot a world trading centre; and that collecting and generating knowledge would render it a global power.” Thus, from its earliest days, Alexandria, whose history embodies most of the history of Mediterranean civilization, prefigured later, modern communities in its diverse, polyglot population of pagans, Christians, Jews, and Muslims. It remained vital even as it fell to successive conquests by Rome, Arab dynasties, the Ottomans, French, and British, before Egypt gained its independence in 1953 and Alexandria became the Arab city it is now.
A well-researched, readable history of one of the world’s oldest and most consequential cities.
